


Eloping

by wertdifferenz



Series: Sidekick and Henchman [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Light Smut, M/M, and now with cats, but more like fluff smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-01-15 10:43:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12319425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wertdifferenz/pseuds/wertdifferenz
Summary: The after-story of "Sidekick and Henchman". Lance and Keith enjoy their new, and most importantly normal life together.“It’s really calm here.” Keith just nodded. But that wasn’t all Lance wanted to convey. “No, I mean… this place makes me really calm and happy and just… content.” He stopped from lack of words, eyes wandering to their intertwined hands.Keith hummed in response. He felt it, too. This contentment this place gave off. But it wasn’t just the place. Keith looked at his partner and felt this feeling of happiness deepen.“I think I get what you mean.”





	1. Finding a place

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear people who found these notes. Thank you for all your kudos and nice comments on the first part of the series. You gave me the courage to continue. 
> 
> In this part I'll write down the things I had in mind for them after eloping. English is still my second language, so please bear with my mistakes. 
> 
> Also, I'm not sure about the title, so maybe I'll change it if I can think of something better.
> 
> Oh, and you can talk to me on [ my tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/wertdifferenz).  
> I decided to keep the time designation from the first part, but now it's in weeks. Lance and Keith are together for 7 weeks now. They established a healthy realationship and trust each other.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy reading this fic.

 

_Eloping is fun and all until your butt starts to hurt from sitting on a motorcycle 24/7 and you run out of money._

 

***

\- 7 weeks - 

Of course they didn’t actually run out of money. Both of them weren’t dumb. They had made enough with their previous jobs, but both of them also learned from said jobs that it’s better to have some cash at hand for bad times. So they didn’t drive around the country and spend all their money on luxury hotels and fancy dishes. They stayed in cheap motels, ate greasy dinner food and sometimes even cooked something themselves, if they had access to a kitchen. 

But they didn’t want it any other way. Cheap motels meant sharing a room. This closeness led to talking, which led to getting to know each other, which led to kissing, cuddling and a sore ass for Lance the next morning. They enjoyed each other’s company. They learned the little quirks of each other, when someone was sad or homesick, or one of them just needed some time alone. You can’t go from being by yourself to suddenly being with someone else all the time without some rules, patience and talking. So they did just that. 

Set up basic rules for their relationship, where patient when the other forgot or overstepped said rules and talked about almost anything. Themselves, their past, their present. Lance’s family, Keith’s foster homes, how they grew up and what made them who they were now. What they wanted to do the next day, where they wanted to go and what they wanted to see.

Sometimes, and Keith really enjoyed these times, they just sat together, next to each other on a rock in the middle of the dessert, each a beer in the hand, watching the sun set and the stars appear. Lance showed him constellations, and sometimes made them up. Keith soon joined him in this little game and it became a habit. A ritual between them. Every time they drove at night, Lance gaze shifted from the street to the sky, whispering names of stars, planets or even galaxies in Keith’s ear. Every time they camped outside, they laid close next to each other, sharing body warmth and calming silence.

 

***

 

They landed at a small town. A really small town. Like, imagine a small town and make it smaller. It wasn’t just small, it was also pretty isolated. Surrounded by nature; forests, mountains and a lake. They were both not quite sure how they got here. 

They were driving. They have been together for quite a while now, so they started taking turns on deciding where to go. Keith liked freeways, endless streets where you hardly ever meet someone, where you could drive however you wanted, without disturbing anybody and nobody disturbing you. Lance however preferred the scenic routes. He liked to navigate randomly, taking the nicest looking streets. They landed in dead ends more than he’d liked to admit. But Keith didn’t care if they had to stop or turn around. He enjoyed passing the control to Lance. Liked to feel the other press his chest to his back when he excitedly pointed at directions or road signs. Listened patiently to Lance’s apologies; the brunet might say that he was sorry, but Keith never saw an apologetic, but rather an adventurous sparkle in his eyes and a sly grin on his lips. And every time, he got an apology kiss. That’s why he took every command without a complaint. Today was Lance’s turn to navigate; that’s how they found themselves in this very small town.

Keith drove slowly along the main street. The houses surrounding them where two storied brick houses, some in traditional red, some painted in different colours; yellow, green, blue, pink, orange. Nearly all of them had little shops in the first floor. They saw a flower shop, clothes stores, fancy restaurants, a jewelry shop, a bakery and some small cafés. The main road split in front of the city hall, a sign next to the street informed them that the left road lead them to some kind of resort; probably for some rich people. That explained the many cafés and restaurants. They turned right. 

They drove through a neighborhood with more brick houses but fewer shops. Kids were playing on the street, elder people sitting on porches and watching them. Lance liked it here. The scenery reminded him of home.

At the end of the road, they reached the lake. It wasn’t wide, but really long. The end couldn’t be seen from where they were standing; water reached the horizon, five snow covered mountain tops separated the blue sky from the turquoise lake.

Keith parked the bike on a little parking lot next to a big, wooden house. A yellow sign above the entrance read “restaurant, corner-shop, & boat rental” in big letters. The interior of the shop was stuffed with shoulder-high shelves, filled with food, everyday items, and fishing gear. In the corner stood boxes filled with fruits and vegetables from local farmers a sign said, although Lance asked himself what they meant with “local”; they were surrounded by thick forest. 

But even with the rampant use of the word “local”, Lance immediately liked this place. It was small, it was cramped; it felt homey. 

He looked at Keith. His partner didn’t look tense like he always did when they entered an unfamiliar place. Which was like, every day. Instead, he looked around the shelves, trying to find a snack or a drink he liked. Lance’s gaze wandered around the shop. He saw a young woman sitting at the register, eyeing them curiously. Lance went to her and asked about the restaurant part on the sign outside. He was starving and wanted nothing more than a hot meal, not the conserved food they had for the last three days. 

She explained that the restaurant was at the other side of the house, facing the lake. When she finished talking, Keith was already approaching the cashier, his arms full of sweet and salty snacks, some beef jerky and a six pack beer. 

They paid and packed the food into their bags. Lance asked his partner if they could stay for lunch. Keith’s eyes lighted up at the mention of a hot meal, so they went around the house but stopped at the corner, stunned at the beautiful sight before them. 

The house was about 60 feet away from the lake, surrounded by oak and chestnut trees. It had big windows and a small wooden door in the middle. On the right side stood some tables covered in knitted tablecloths in multiple colors, and wooden foldable chairs. They were painted in different, bright colors, but the paint already chipped off on some of them. It was lovely. 

On the left side of the house a small path led down to the lake, ending at the shore which was covered in grass and a boat bridge where the rental boats where anchored. The sun was shining through the trees, covering the place with marvelous spots. Some locals were sitting at the few tables, chatting over everyday stuff, laughing every now and then. 

Lance and Keith sat down at a table far off from the other people. They sat next to each other, facing the lake and enjoying the waves of calmness washing over them. A waitress came to their table, a tall woman with light brown, gentle eyes. She smiled widely at the new arrivals, said her welcomes and handed each of them a menu. After taking their orders for drinks, she strolled to the other guests, clearing the tables and recommending a pie for dessert. 

Keith watched the waitress for a bit until his eyes started to roam all over the place. There were some boats on the lake; he could see some fishers in small tubs. Kids were swimming in the water, their towels at the shore, their bored mothers draped over them. 

His eyes wandered to his partner. With a soft smile on his face, his ocean blue eyes were watching the kids play. He sighed deeply, lost in thoughts. He looked lonely, so Keith grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it, making the other turn his attention to him, hand squeezing back and sad smile shifting to a happy grin. 

Their drinks arrived and they ordered their food, some burgers, fries and a salad as a side. As the waitress left, Keith shifted in his seat; facing the brunet and tugging at his hand to get him do the same. Lance complied, his eyes drifting from the lake to his partner, his upper body turning a little bit so he didn’t have to strain his neck so much. 

Keith didn’t really know how to start this conversation, so he simply choose the starter for most of their conversations: a simple “Hey.”

“Hmm?” Lance hummed as a response. 

“What got you thinking so much today?”

Lance shrugged. “I don’t know, I just like the place. It feels like home, you know?”

“I wouldn’t.”

Lance huffed at those words. He used to feel bad when Keith said something like this, but he learned quickly that the other liked to make these dark jokes, so he just laughed along with him. 

“Well”, he said, still smiling, “you could learn how it feels like.”

“I already did, though.”

Lance looked at him, confused. The other smiled sheepishly at him. “When I’m with you, I imagine that’s how a home feels like.”

Lance blushed furiously, even his ear tips started to burn. He looked away and tried to get his skin color under control again. After a while he saw the waitress approaching with their food and murmured “fucking sap” before she got into hearing range. Keith chuckled at Lance’s response. The sweet sound only darkened the blush.

The food was a delight. Burgers and fries usually tasted good, even the most shabby highway diner didn’t manage to fuck this dish up, but these burgers tasted like the chef sold his soul to Satan. They were awesome. The fries were even better.

“Oh my god.” Lance groaned as the waitress collected the empty dishes. “This was so good! I wish I could eat this every day!” 

She chuckled and told them she’d deliver the message to the chef. She asked about dessert, but both men were too full to eat more, so they declined and only ordered two more drinks. She walked away, humming and left the men alone again. 

Lance shifted in his seat and started to knead his hands. Keith noticed the sudden uncertainty in his partner, took his hand again and laced their fingers together. With his outgoing and flirtatious behavior, Keith realized after a few days of being together, his partner hid his insecurities and a complex mind setting, always overthinking things and hardly speaking his mind. It was quite a challenge to get behind Lance’s wall of defense. It took them weeks to build up enough trust to be able to speak freely with each other. But even now, Lance sometimes needed some encouragement to open up.

“Tell me what’s going on in that pretty head?”

“You mean me?” Lance asked teasingly. 

Keith rolled his eyes at Lance’s weak attempt to change the subject. Still, he looked around, to the kids, the locals at the other tables, to the waitress and back at him. 

“Yeah, who else would I mean?” Lance blushed slightly. He was still not used to being complimented by his partner. He preferred showing his attraction with actions. Not that Lance minded the regular make-out sessions. 

He looked at Keith, his ocean blue eyes meeting dark violet ones. Keith’s gaze told him that he still expected an answer to the original question. He sighed deeply, cleared his throat and tried to find the right words.

“It’s really calm here.” Keith just nodded. But that wasn’t all Lance wanted to convey. “No, I mean… this place makes me really calm and happy and just… content.” He stopped from lack of words, eyes wandering to their intertwined hands. 

Keith hummed in response. He felt it, too. This contentment this place gave off. But it wasn’t just the place. Keith looked at his partner and felt this feeling of happiness deepen. 

“I think I get what you mean.” Lance looked up. He saw a smile curl Keith’s lips, a smile that was reserved for Lance. His heart throbbed a little at this sight, and even more at the following words. “You wanna stay here for a while?” 

Lance thought about it. “I didn’t see a motel near here and I don’t wanna stay in that stupid resort.” Keith huffed at that. They shared the same opinion on that.

“They had a flyer in the shop that said the place here also rented some rooms.” Lance turned around. The windows in the second floor had curtains hiding the interior from preying eyes. From the look of the restaurant though, Lance had a feeling that the rooms would be really nice and comfy. He looked back to his partner, who was still smiling at him. His eyes held something encouraging.

“I'd really like to rest for a few days, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by staying here. I know you prefer the road.” 

“Yeah, I like the road, but I think it’s nice here. I don’t feel uncomfortable in this place.” 

“So we can stick around for a little while?” Lance asked hopeful. Nobody could decline the puppy eyes and little pout Lance offered right now, Keith didn’t even wanted try. He only nodded as a response, getting a kiss as rewards for the answer. The place made Lance happy. Staying for a while couldn’t hurt.

So they stayed.


	2. To call Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith spend time together.

_We want to book a room. No, not the honeymoon suite. Wait, you have something like that?_

They didn’t.

***

\- 7 weeks -

The room was small. A queen sized bed with white sheets occupied most of the room. Left and right were tiny nightstands with small table lamps on top. On the left wall stood a dresser, left from the door were a table and a stool. The furniture was made of wood, even the pictures and vases decorating the room. A door right from the bed connected the cabin room from the bathroom.

The room was nice. Keith loved it. It smelled like pine trees. The windows were not in the wall but in the pitch of the roof, so you could see the sky when you laid in the bed. Lance flopped himself immediately into the sheets. His satisfied groan probably meant that the bed was comfy. Without looking up, he winked Keith over to join him.

Keith sat himself onto the bed, but laid down on his back when Lance started tugging at his shirt. The brunet was right, the bed was really comfy. The sheets had a faint smell of detergent and apples which mixed good with the pine smell in the rest of the room. When he turned on his side, he saw that the other was already drifting of.

“Really, you gonna sleep now? It’s not even two.”

Lance stirred a bit. “Just a quick nap.” He crooked on eye open. “Please?”

Puppy eyes and a pout. Really, how could he say no to this? “Okay, but only ten minutes.” Lance moved closer to Keith, throwing and arm over his waist and tucking his head underneath the others chin. He sighed satisfied and quickly fell asleep. Keith ran his free hand up and down Lance’s back and counted the others breaths.

 

***

 

Ten minutes turned to five hours. The soft drumming of raindrops falling on the roof woke Keith up. Lance was still soundly asleep, draped over Keith’s chest and snoring lightly. Since he could not escape being used as a pillow without waking the brunet, he accepted his fate and laid still.

From his position, he could see through the ceiling window. Thick, dark clouds covered the sky. The evening was young, and the clouds did not manage to absorb all daylight. It would still be bright for at least two more hours. Not that it mattered; they would probably stay in the room for the rest of the day.

He looked down to his partner. His face was relaxed, mouth slightly opened. His hair was a mess; Lance claimed that he only had to think of a bed and the bed hair would appear on its own. He was right. A clap of thunder in the distance woke him. Ocean blue eyes roamed over Keith’s face until they met with dark violet ones. A sleepy smile appeared on his lips, but was quickly replaced by a yawn. Lance closed his eyes and made himself comfortable again.

Keith nudged his side. “No more sleeping!”

No response.

“Hey, we napped long enough. I’m hungry!”

Still no response. The other only tightened his grip around Keith’s waist as he tried to get up. Keith tried a few more times, but only for show, which made the brunet giggle. He slumped back into the sheets and raised his hands in defeat.

“You’re gonna let me starve here?” Keith’s last effort to get Lance to move was accompanied by a low grumble from his stomach. Lance couldn’t hide a snort, as much as he tried. But he still wouldn’t budge.

 _Change of plans_ , Keith thought. His placed his hand gently on Lance cheek and started to stroke it with his thumb. Meanwhile, his other hand roamed over the brunets back, traveling up and down, up and slightly further down, repeating it until he reached the hem of his shirt. With the next stroke, Keith’s hand found warm skin, and he continued the petting, making the other shiver.

Lance looked up and eyed him curiously. Keith tightened his grip on the brunet’s cheek and gently guided him up. He smirked when he figured out Keith’s intention and obeyed, moving up to meet soft lips. The kiss started lazy, but with Keith’s hand moving southward and massaging Lance’s ass, the heat fired up and soon both men were a moaning mess. Lance moved and sat himself on Keith’s lap, right where the raven wanted him to be.

Another growl from Keith’s stomach cleared his hazy thoughts and reminded him of his plan. Sure, he was hungry for Lance, but his hunger for food was bigger right now. And of course Keith could easily have done this earlier; he manhandled Lance a couple of times before. But it was just more fun like this.

He grabbed Lance by the waist, and heaved them both up. Lance was too startled to let out any sound and only started shrieking as Keith quickly turned around and dropped him back onto the bed. The brunet expected some kind of attack from the other. He didn’t believe his eyes as Keith simply turned around and started rummaging through his backpack.

Lance hesitantly sat up. “Keith?”

The other turned around, a sandwich in one hand, a box with berries in the other. “Yes?” He opened the box and set it on the table, than started to unwrap the bread.

“We’re not gonna continue?”

“I’m hungry.”

“You’re kidding, right? You put food over sex?”

Keith seated himself on the chair. He took a bite from the sandwich and chewed slowly, giving the impression of really thinking about the question. He finally swallowed the bit and looked Lance dead in the eye. “Yes.”

Lance groaned dramatically and threw himself on the bed. “I hate you.”

Keith smirked and offered him a berry as peace-offering. “You don’t.”

“I know. I can’t believe I like you, you’re too much of a tease.” Keith’s laugh was cut of as he choked on a piece of bread and had to cough a few times. Lance was so kind to get up and bring him a glass of water. When he was finally able to speak again, he saw that Lance had taken his time out to steal his sandwich and the box with the berries. Keith got himself a new sandwich from the backpack before returning to their previous topic.

“You’re a bigger tease than me! Comparing us two is like comparing a crocodile to Godzilla.”

Lance dramatically breathed in. To intensify his act, he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye before resting his free hand on his chest. “That is not true! Tell me one time I teased you.”

“Oh, like this one time in the diner bathroom. Or when we were at the beach. Or in the cinema. Or-“

“Okay, okay! Stop! I get it! I get it. And stop smirking!” Keith didn’t stop.

“You know that we will continue after eating.”

“No, I’m not letting someone who clearly hasn’t set his priorities right near my holy body.”

“So you don’t want to continue after eating?”

“No, I don’t.” Both men knew that that was a lie.

 

***

\- 8 weeks -

Keith had booked the room for one week, but they extended their stay for a few more days. The place was really nice. The explored the city and even dared to take a stroll through the rich neighborhood. Most of the houses were not occupied at the moment. They talked to the locals a lot; well, Lance talked and Keith listened. They told both men that the rich people usually just came for one or two weeks during summer holidays. For this reason, the overpriced stores and restaurants at the main street changed up their goods for the rest of the year to attract the local buyers.

Lance soon befriended with the chef and owner of the house, Hunk. The big Samoan was flattered by Lance’s constant praise about his food, and somehow the brunet even managed to get some cooking lessons from him. Keith regularly talked with the cashier from the first day. Her name was Katie, but she preferred to be called Pidge. She was smart and sassy, and showed some interest in Keith’s motorcycle. They bonded over morbid jokes and mothman.

On a sunny Wednesday, when the restaurant had its closing day, Hunk and his girlfriend Shay, the waitress, took Lance and Keith hiking through the woods. Most of the area around the city was nature reserve and visitors had to stay on the marked paths. The nature around them was astonishing, the snacks Hunk provided were even better.

After the first couple days Keith noticed that Lance hardly stopped smiling. He smiled while spending time with Hunk or Pidge, while talking to the locals, while they were swimming in the lake or just sitting around on the shore. God, he even smiled while he was sleeping. And his smile always widened when he looked at Keith, which made his heart skip a few times.

Sometimes however, when he was lost in thoughts, his smile became sad. It usually shifted back to his happy smirk when something caught his attention. It bothered Keith that the other clearly had something on his mind but didn’t confide in him.

So at one of their last days in town, Keith took Lance’s hand and guided him to the boat bridge. They took a seat at the end of the bridge where they had a nice view over the lake. A faint breeze was playing with the waves; the sun hung already low and was almost touching the mountains. They just sat there in silence, enjoying the last warm sunrays and the fresh air. Keith kept his eyes on Lance. The brunet was already used to being gazed at by his partner and stopped being bothered by it a while ago.

When Lance’s eyes became distant again, Keith decided to act. He squeezed the hand he was holding to get his attention on him.

“Earth to Lance?”

“Hmm?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Just… this place. It’s just nice here.”

Keith looked around. Lance was right, it was nice here. The forest, the lake, the mountains; everything was so calming. Even the people here were nice, and Keith usually hated people. He found a good friend in Hunk, and an even better one in Pidge. They were great company. Keith liked hiking and playing in the water. He liked exploring the nature and watching the start at night. He liked strolling through the city and eating at Hunk’s.

And he liked Lance’s smile.

"Yeah, you're right."

The decision was easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger, hate reading one, love writing one. But you probably can imagine what Keith’s de-cision is.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think about the story so far. 
> 
> Be ensured, smut will come. Eventually. 
> 
> Also: M-Rating finally fulfilled.
> 
> Unnecessary information:
> 
> \- Yes, mothman. Because I can’t write crypt… crypthes… cryptesties… this word and the internet wouldn’t provide me with the right spelling.  
> \- Yes, Hunk owns the whole house and also a small part of the lake.  
> \- I looked at pictures of cabin rooms for this fic and really want to live in one now.  
> \- Lance got cooking lessons from Hunk to further impress Keith with his food.  
> \- I imagine Lance and Keith sitting at the lake and watching the sunset. It’s sappy. I’m happy.


	3. You make it easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Keith’s backstory and a big surprise for Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear people who found these notes.
> 
> Thank you for reading. English is not my first language, so please bear with any mistakes.
> 
> Sorry for posting this late, work abroad kept me busy.

_I don’t know why, but with you, everything just feels so right._

 

***

 

\- 8 weeks -

Lance woke up because he was cold. He patted around the bed to search for his human heater, but only found empty sheets. He groaned annoyed.

“Keith?”

No answer. He scrubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room. The raven was not here, nor in the bathroom, but his backpack and his favorite shirt still laid on the floor. He didn’t run away at least. But still, where was he?

The question was answered a few moments later when he heard the engine of a motorcycle approach and die down next to the house. Lance snuggled back into the warm sheets. He heard footsteps approaching his room and soon Keith entered. He took of his shoes and jacket and joined Lance in the bed.

Lance shuffled closer to lay his head on Keith’s chest. The other wordlessly wrapped an arm around him and held him close. They didn’t fall asleep, just listened to the others heartbeat and enjoyed the warmth.

Keith sighed. This… was really nice. He couldn’t remember ever having someone to hold like this. After his parents died, his life was a constant rollercoaster of disappointment, being passed around from foster home to foster home until he was old enough that no one cared anymore. The last foster family literally put him on the streets the minute he turned sixteen. 

He didn’t know why, but since the first time they met, Keith was drawn to Lance. Even though they had to fight each other, explosions around them and the constant fear of dying any minute, Keith dared to take a look at the other, at his soft brown skin, his velvet like hair, his dashing ocean blue eyes.

After that encounter, Keith sought these fights, sought seeing the other again. They were enemies, yes, but they didn’t fight like that. Didn’t fight to hurt the other. They bantered. A lot. It was easy with Lance, the forth and back. Snarky comments didn’t hurt him, they only confused Keith. 

Lance didn’t fight to kill, he fought to protect. He fought to do something right. He fought so other people didn’t have to. So his family didn’t have to. Keith was envious of Lance family, because they got to have someone like him. The envy was gone now, with the other pressing his nose on his collar, kissing pale skin whenever he found some. 

“Where have you been?” When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and sleepy, soft and quite. Almost a whisper; words meant just for him, even though they were alone in their room. 

“Pidge wanted to show me something. We had to leave before her shift started.” Keith whispered into soft curls. His warm breath ghosted over the Lance’s hair, making the brunet shiver.

A thought occurred to him, making Lance giggle at the picture in his head. “Did she ride with you on the motorcycle?” 

Keith couldn’t hide his amusement at this thought, too. Oh, he really wished to see the funny helmet hair on the petite woman, but… “No, Hunk wouldn’t allow it, so she had to drive with his truck.” 

Lance chuckled. Hunk was like a mother hen, always trying to watch out for his friends.

“What did she show you?”

“I’ll bring you there later, okay?”

***

Later was after a big breakfast at Hunk’s and another round in bed. Just sleeping, because Lance just really wanted to cuddle this morning. It was already eleven something when they got on Keith’s bike.

Instead of driving to the main street, Keith took the exact opposite direction. He followed an asphalted street. They had passed the last houses a quarter mile ago and were surrounded by forest. The street ended, but behind a rotten wooden fence with a mailbox, a path continued. It could easily fit a car, and Keith drove with his motorcycle in the middle of the road to avoid low hanging branches. 

After half a mile they reached a small wooden house. Keith parked his bike a few feet away and got off, ignoring the questioning look from Lance. He hang his helmet on the handlebars. After a few seconds, Lance did the same. He went to Keith, who was already standing in front of the house, looking at said object.

“That’s what Pidge wanted to show you?”

“Yeah, the house belongs to the Holt’s. Do you want to take a look inside?”

“Uhm… sure. Why not?”

They climbed the four stairs to the terrace. To their far right was a swing which could seat two people and a small table stand next to it. The door was in the middle, windows left and right from it. Keith pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. 

The house was not big, but the interior was spacious. One bedroom, a bathroom, a small living room with an open kitchen. A couch and a loveseat in the living room took almost all space, only some bookshelves on the wall and a small fireplace could still fit. Between living room and kitchen was a small dinner table which could fit four people. The kitchen had a sink, a big fridge and some beautiful country styled cabinets. 

The bedroom fit a queen sized bed and two small dressers. The big window was covered by floor-length curtains. Lance thrust them aside and enjoyed the nice view over the forest and the lake right behind the house. From the window he saw a small boat bridge and a place for chopping wood. 

The bathroom was not the newest, but it had hot running water and a nice tub. Lance could already see himself laying inside with a glass of wine and a good book. The thought made him feel like smiling and frowning at the same time. 

The house was beautiful, the location amazing. But why did Keith bring him here?

He met his partner sitting in the swing on the terrace. He joined him. The swing was big enough for two, but Lance found himself almost sitting on Keith. He just liked to touch him. Keith wrapped an arm around him and rested his head on the brunets. 

“How do you like it?” He asked curious. 

“The house? It’s beautiful.”

“Okay, that’s good.”

“Why?”

“Because I rented it for a year.”

 

***

 

Lance’s reaction, or rather the lack thereof made Keith question his whole plan. He had been sure that Lance would love to stay here. Not in one of Hunk’s rooms but in their own little place. This morning, when Pidge had shown him the house their family usually rented to vacationers through summer, Keith had a good feeling that the other would like this place. The house, the lake, the forest. Everything was almost too perfect. Hence paying the rent for one whole year. 

After he counted a few heartbeats in the complete silence between them, Keith risked to take a look at his partner. Lance was staring at him, eyes blown wide and lips slightly parted. He looked adorable like this, like a confused puppy. The picture would have been completed if he turned his head a little bit to the side. Wait, never mind, here it is. Lance turned his head and raised his eyebrows in question.

“What do you mean ‘you rented it for a year’?”

“I thought you would like to stay here longer than just a couple of days. You look so happy every day. Are you not happy about staying?”

“No, no don’t get me wrong. I am thrilled to stay here! But I thought you liked the road? I thought you didn’t want to settle in one place.”

“Like I said before: I like this place, too. And just seeing you smile every day makes my decision really easy. If you want to stay in Altea, I would love to stay here with you.”

“Oh god!” Lance buried his face in Keith’s shoulder and groaned. Keith smiled and waited for some line like ‘fucking sap’; not the following words. Lance looked at him, blue gems meeting violets ones, and sat up. His focus was completely on his partner. “I love you.”

Now it was Keith’s turn to be stunned. His breath hitched and his eyes widened. Did he just hear that right? According to Lance’s fast spreading blush all above his face and up to his ears, he did. This was the first time Keith had heard these words directed at him. It felt new and unfamiliar, but not wrong. 

It felt everything but wrong.

Lance made living easy. Made being happy easy. Made feeling like this easy. Keith didn’t hesitate, didn’t doubt this feeling for a second.

“I love you, too.”

It felt so right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the story. 
> 
> Also, next chapter the rating will level up because I’m gonna write some amateur smut and post it on Thursday.
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> \- They dropped the “L”-bomb! Omg!  
> \- Yeah, the city is now called Altea.  
> \- Imagine Keith chopping fire wood. I did. Yas!  
> \- Some people drink tea in the bathtub, but seriously? Wine kicks in more!


	4. Feels so good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith go shopping and have sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear people who found these notes. 
> 
> This chapter contains a sex scene. To skip it, stop reading from "As Keith deepened the kiss, Lance started to melt completely into his arms. His moans and sighs were music to the raven’s ears." until "“Come on, we have to get you cleaned up.”"
> 
>  
> 
> I guess I don't have to repeat that English is not my first language. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

_Don’t you dare to stop! I need more, please!_

 

***

\- 10 weeks -

They had stayed at Hunk’s for two more days while preparing the house. They had to clean every room and repair the sink in the kitchen. The house hadn’t been inhabited for a whole year and the lack of use was visible from the mountains of dust on shelves and windows. 

On the third day, the house was clean enough to not give any of them a house-dust allergy. Hunk almost cried when they left. Lance had to remind him that they were less than two miles away and promised to visit every day. He only led them go after a bone crushing hug and a huge bag full of food.

They were thankful for the food. Living in the forest meant they had to drive far to the next store. They went every two days with Keith’s bike to buy groceries, visit Hunk and Pidge, and get a change of scenery. 

After two weeks, they borrowed Hunk’s truck to visit the next big city for furnishing. The home was fully equipped with everything they needed, but since they would stay for at least a year, Lance insisted on more decoration.

They bought a lot of stuff. Blankets, pillows, rugs and curtains. Empty frames for their own pictures, candles, some fairy lights and some potted plants. Keith didn’t get why Lance bought potted plants when they had a whole forest right in front of their door, but he didn’t complain. If Lance wanted plants, he would get plants. And blue sheets and a big quilt and a fluffy bath mat. 

Seriously, Keith didn’t even know why he tagged along. He simply stood next to their cart and watched Lance run through the whole store to collect decoration. 

After the furniture store they went to buy groceries. Some fresh stuff, but mostly durable food they could store easily. A lot of flour to bake bread and ingredients Lance could pickle later.

It took them almost the whole day to complete their shopping and get back to their house. They quickly unloaded their stuff before Keith drove to Hunk’s to swap the car with his bike again.

 

***

 

When Keith returned half an hour later, the bags had already been unpacked and everything was stowed away. His boyfriend laid on blue and red pillows on the couch, looking at him expectantly. 

Keith took off his shoes and jacket hand joined him. They had to squeeze together to fit, but they didn’t mind. Keith wrapped his arms around the other and placed Lance’s head under his chin. 

Lance played with the collar of Keith’s shirt. Whenever his warm hands touched pale skin, a smile would tug at his lips. He hadn’t been starving for touches before he had met the brunet. But Lance had made him addicted. Wherever it was kissing of just holding hands, every contact made his skin prickle, made him feel warm inside. He lit little bonfires in Keith’s heart.

Lance pulled his collar down and fingers were replaced with soft lips. A hand travelled down his chest, sneaked under his shirt and travelled up again. Nails scraped over Keith’s chest.

The bonfire was fed with gasoline.

The heat spread through Keith’s body and gathered in his gut. His hands found the hem of Lance’s sweatshirt, starving to touch caramel skin. Keith turned his head and kissed Lance’s hairline and temple to get the other to look up. Lance separated from the collarbone, his lips roamed over chin, jaw and cheeks before reaching their goal. 

Their kiss was heated. Keith bit Lance lip, making him gasp. He used the moment to savor even more of his partner. He kissed him greedily. Although he knew by heart how Lance felt, what he tasted like, he kissed him like it was their first time. Curious and hungry. Exploring every part of his boyfriend, worshiping it like a treasure.

Lance tasted like the ocean at night, mixed with the sweetness of honey and cinnamon. The flavor lulled him in, made him comply with everything Lance wanted. 

As Keith deepened the kiss, Lance started to melt completely into his arms. His moans and sighs were music to the raven’s ears. 

Keith started to tug at Lance’s sweatshirt and they lifted themselves off the couch to undress their tops. As soon as his shirt was off, Lance was on his torso, nipping at his abs and moving up to suck his nipples. Keith could feel the other smirking. 

“You want to do it on the couch?” Lance said between his sucking. 

“We have no lube here?”

Lance smirked, reached behind Keith and pulled out some lube from behind the pillow. Keith raised an eyebrow.

“You planned this?”

Of course he did. Lance had probably hid lube all over the house when Keith was gone. 

Lance jumped off the couch and hastily undressed the rest of his clothes. Before Keith even realized it, the brunet was already at his belt. He yanked Keith out of his pants and left some scratches on his skin while ripping off his underwear too. 

“Impatient.” Keith murmured under his breath. Any other words were devoured by Lance’s hungry lips. He climbed on Keith’s lap and started to grind their cocks together. Lance clearly had the upper hand in this position, so Keith grabbed him by the waist and quickly turned them over. 

With a snort Lance landed on his back, but didn’t have any time to fight back as the other was already on him again. He opened his legs eagerly and wrapped them around Keith’s waist, holding him in place while grinding up again. 

Meanwhile, Keith left some pretty bruises on his boyfriend’s neck and shoulders. He blindly grabbed the lube and spread some on his fingers, warming it up between them. Both men were rock hard by now, rubbing themselves desperately onto the other to release some pressure. 

Keith sat up and pinned Lance with one hand on his waist. The other hand was already at his pretty hole. He rubbed on finger over his entrance, making Lance moan and squirm desperately. 

“Keith, please!”

Keith obeyed zealously. With a smooth motion he pushed one finger in without any hindrance. Lance was still loose from the morning. He started to pump his finger in an out, making Lance beg for more. He quickly aligned a second finger and after a few moments a third. Lance was sucking his fingers in like a vacuum, his ass silently begging for more. 

Keith turned his wrist and crooked his fingers a bit, hitting the good spot dead-on. Under him, Lance’s moans got louder and louder and slowly turned into screams. Thank god they didn’t have any neighbors, so Lance could scream his lungs out. 

Every pretty noise from the brunet send shivers down Keith’s spine, making him hotter and hotter. His cock twitched in anticipation. Keith stretched the other a little more, until he couldn’t sustain himself anymore. He pulled his fingers out and aligned himself. Lance’s complaints at their loss were quickly replaced by furious moaning. 

He pushed his cock into him in one slide. Lance’s moans turned into whimpers and crossed his ankles behind Keith’s back to hold him tight. Balls-deep in, the raven stilled his motion and pushed their bodies together. He let Lance get used to the invasion while kissing his neck. Dark purple bruises were already forming on the brown skin, joining the hickey and bite marks from this morning. 

Keith hummed satisfied at this sight. Nobody could have any doubt that Lance was taken. _Mine_ , he thought.

Lance started to wiggle underneath him. His whimpers became louder again and his legs wandered downwards, pressing them even more together. 

“Keith.” His name was nothing more than a breathy whisper right into his ears. The moan escaping his own lips was louder, and he bit Lance tender to ground himself.

He started out slowly. His thrust were shallow, his dick still buried deep inside the brunet. But that was clearly not enough for the brunet.

“Harder!” He demanded.

And Keith complied. He pulled out almost completely, only leaving the tip inside the other. His next thrust was quick and hard, knocking the breath out of Lance. He repeated the action, again and again, making the brunets whimpers turn to moans, turn to screams. 

“Yes yes yes! Babe!”

The pet name spurred him on. Without losing the quick rhythm, Keith wrapped his arms around the others back and lifted him up. The surprised screech from the other was swallowed by his lips. One hand travelled up and grabbed Lance by his neck to hold him tight. Like this, Lance had to take the full brunt of Keith’s force. 

With no way (or mean) of escaping, all Lance could do was to wrap his arms around Keith’s shoulders and hold on tight. He had no control over the position, as Keith simply pushed him on and off his cock himself. He just took Keith all in, moaning and screaming against the other lips. 

The heat in their guts turned to fire. They started to fuck harder, push relentlessly; not for pleasure, but for release. Their kisses were sloppy now, all spit and tongue, but they didn’t care. Just the taste of the other made them feral.

Keith tightened his grip around the other. His cock pushed in and out, each thrust harder than the last. Lance started to writhe in his arms, desperate for the climax. His hold around Keith’s shoulders was as firm as the others. They broke their kiss. Keith immediately attacked his shoulder, Lance did the same. 

The fire was burning them from inside. 

“K-Keith. I’m close!”

“Come for me, Lance!”

Fire turned to explosions. Hearing his name moaned by the other pulled him over the edge. Lance came with a scream, painting their chests white and whimpering breathlessly as Keith fucked him through his orgasm. 

The walls around his cock pulsed heavily. With two more thrust Keith came too. He buried himself deep inside Lance, filling him up nicely. Lance shivered at the warm feeling inside him; he was nothing more than a puddle in the raven’s arms now. 

Keith rode out his orgasm and pulled Lance into a soft kiss when his dick finally stopped twitching. He laid them both back on the couch and snuggled into Lance’s shoulder, trying to catch his breath. They laid there for a while, until their breathing slowed down and their heartbeats turned to a healthy frequency again.

Lance caressed Keith’s back, enjoying the warmth of the other for a few more moments. Keith slowly got limp. He pulled out, making the brunet groan at the loss. Keith nudged him gently.

“Come on, we have to get you cleaned up.”

Lance just yawned at him, not showing any intentions to move. “Can’t. Too tired.”

Keith chuckled at that. He loved the sight of his blissed out boyfriends, especially when he made him look like this. So he didn’t complain at the other for his laziness and simply got up and grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom. 

Only now Lance could see all the scratch marks he left on Keith’s back. The picture made him smile. He loved to mark his boyfriend. _One thing we have in common_ , he thought while stroking his fingers lightly across the bite marks.

Keith cleaned himself quickly and returned to his partner to do the same for him. Lance enjoyed the treatment with a content sigh. When he was finished, Keith threw the towel through the open bathroom door, snatched a blanket from the loveseat and joined his boyfriend on the couch again. Lance snuggled into his chest and was out in a few seconds. 

Keith gently stroked over the brown curls. He kissed Lance’s temple and closed his eyes. 

“I love you.” He sighed happily. He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: I can't thank you enough for your kind comments. They really get me motivated to keep writing.
> 
> Please let me know what you think about this fic and the sex scene. :)
> 
>  
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> \- Every decoration Lance had bought is blue. Only some pillows and the quilt are red.  
> \- Keith doesn't mind the blue because he know Lance bought the red stuff for him.  
> \- Lance knows how to bake good bread and pickle stuff. He's a housewife.  
> \- Now I imagine him again naked with just an apron.


	5. Normal days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chopping wood and double date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> So, I’ll try my best to update regularly during my holidays. Thank you for your patience.

\- 12 weeks –

Living in a house meant responsibilities. When you live in a flat you can talk to your landlord when something is wrong. Sure, the house belonged to the Holt’s, but Lance and Keith didn’t really want to bother them with stuff they could take care of on their own.

Like chopping wood.

They had a small fireplace in the living room and a place for bonfires near the lake. They liked to make bonfires and had to prepare firewood for the winter, so Keith made it his responsibility to chop wood from time to time. It was in the middle of August, but Keith liked to be prepared. 

It was in the morning, right after breakfast when he got out to chop some of the wood the Holt’s had kindly provided. Lance was still inside, washing the dishes and humming a soft melody to himself. He could see Keith working from the kitchen window. Washing the dishes usually took him half this long, but the nice view distracted him a bit. 

It was still early, but already pretty hot outside so Keith only wore his usual jeans. No top. A thin layer of sweat covered his upper body and some pearls were running down his neck and sculp-tured back. And that was the issue. Even though they took care of his morning wood before breakfast, the tasty view got Lance ready to go again. 

Keith had put his hair in a low pony tail but his fringes were sticking to his forehead. Altogether he looked pretty hot. When Lance finished the dishes, he poured some homemade ice tea into a glass and got outside to offer it to his boyfriend.

Boyfriend, hehe. Even after a month of calling him like that, it still made Lance smile. Keith gladly accepted the refreshment and downed it in one go, finishing with a small moan.

“Good?” Lance asked amused.

“Very. Thanks. I’m almost done. Just want to finish the pile.”

“Hm, you probably chopped enough for the whole winter.”

Keith gave him an unamused glare. “This will probably last less than two weeks with your mani-ac bonfires.”

“Hey! I just like the heat.”

“Even with a big fire in front of you, you still try to steal my body heat.”

“Well, yeah. You’re body heat feels better.”

Keith didn’t argue with that. Sometimes it was better to shut up than to fight Lances arguments with logic. He finished the small pile of wood and left the axe in the tree stump he used as a chopping block. He went to his boyfriend, who was still looking at him with excited eyes. He aimed for a kiss, but Lance stopped him.

“Ew, no! Shower first!”

“Come on, just a kiss.”

“Nooo!”

Well, he couldn’t simply accept that. Keith grabbed Lance and lifted him on his shoulder. The other tried to squirm, but Keith held on tight. 

“Let me down, stinky!”

Keith started walking towards the lake. When Lance realized his plan, they were already on the boat bridge. He tried to escape again, but it was futile. With a loud laugh from Keith and an even louder scream from Lance, both landed in the cold water.

When Keith emerged, he was greeted with splashing. He could hardly take a breath, so he swam to Lance and caught both of his hands. He pulled them together for a kiss, almost drowning them. 

With his favorite element around them and his favorite person on his lips, Lance couldn’t really stay mad about the involuntary bath.

***

It was date night. Double date night? Anyway, they met at Hunk’s. But not in the restaurant.

Shay and Hunk lived on the second floor of one of the brick houses far away from the main road. It was in walking distance to their workspace, the rent was cheap and they had almost the whole floor for themselves. If Keith and Lance didn’t have an entire house without any neighbors for themselves, this would be the place they’d kill for.

Shay had a good eye for home decoration. She had already furnished all the rooms of their small hotel, and their flat didn’t look any less lovely. They had an open kitchen with a kitchen island and barstools that looked like they’d been stolen directly from an old western movie. The living room had old leather couches and a big TV. 

Lance and Keith were sitting on the barstools, watching Hunk do his magic and listening to one of Shay’s high school stories. Hunk added a few funny details from time to time, making Shay turn red from embarrassment. 

Hunk finished cooking, and they gathered their drinks and set everything up at the dinner table. After praising Hunk’s food for the first part of the meal, the conversation shifted to Lance and Keith. Shay was pretty curious, and she didn’t hesitate to ask them anything. The questions were rather simple though.

“How did you guys meet?”

Keith turned to Lance, smiling slightly. They had been asked this many times before and had come up with a story they both liked.

“We met at my work. I was working as a waiter in a diner and Keith often came by for lunch. One time I gathered all my courage and asked him for his number.”

“Oh, so sweet! So you were a waiter?”

“Yeah, we have something in common. Although the food I served was nothing to be proud of.”

Shay chuckled and looked lovingly at Hunk. She had all reasons to be proud. Lance seriously had to stop praising him so much, or else they’d need sunglasses from Hunks sun-like smile. 

“So, Keith. What did you do before coming here?”

“I worked in an auto shop, but I mostly repaired motorcycles there.” 

“Really? That’s how you came to your bike?”

“No, I had my bike before working there.” 

They added some extra parts to their story from time to time. This was the first time though Keith told the truth. Well, almost the truth. He used to work at an auto shop for a short for one of his foster parent before getting kicked out. This was also news to Lance. Something they could talk about later.

They talked for hours. Shay and Hunk were really good company. Both enjoyed playing hosts and telling stories about their childhood and the city. Both grew up in the small town. Shay’s family lived here for ages, and Hunks mothers moved here when Hunk was five. They met in preschool and stayed together until now. 

Hunk and Shay knew all citizens and their stories. They told them stories of the town, taught them some history of the city and its surrounding and even gave them some blackmail material for Pidge. Because ‘she probably has already gathered something about you, be careful’.

When Shay started to tell them about the cryptids of the forest, Lance quickly excused himself for the bathroom. Keith loved these stories, but Lance started to really hate them. Living alone in the forest without any neighbors who could hear you scream made you careful. Ex-sidekick or not, he just didn’t want to hear about cryptids or ghosts at all. 

After a few minutes, he returned to the living room. Keith was still chained to Shay’s lips. Hunk had escaped to the kitchen. He didn’t seem to like these stories either. Lance joined him and they cleaned some of the dishes together. Hunk had a dishwasher (that lucky bastard) but preferred to wash his pans and expensive knives by hand. 

When they finished, Hunk got all of them a beer from the fridge and they rejoined on the leather couches. Lance liked the soft texture of the old leather. The couch was pretty old, probably from Shay’s parents. She had draped some blankets from sheep’s wool over it, which fit perfectly to the whole interior. 

Lance didn’t realize that Shay had finally finished her stories. He was pretty occupied by in-specting the living room. Keith nudged him in the side to get his attention. Shay was already half asleep on Hunks shoulder and even Keith was feeling tired.

They got up and prepared to leave. Hunk packed them some leftovers and gave them to Lance at the door.

“Sorry we kept you up so long.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We really enjoyed the evening.”

“Yeah, us too. Anyway, see you tomorrow! Goodnight, guys.

“Goodnight!”

Keith was already next to his bike, waiting for him. Lance quickly put his helmet on and they drove off home. The forest was kind of scary at night. Every bush and tree looked like a predator in the dim light of the motorcycle. Lance was glad when they finally reached the last turn and could see the lamp they had left on the porch. A little light to help them find their way home.

Lance looked on the clock when they got inside. He was surprised it was already one in the morning. Time really did fly when you have a good time. 

It was still warm inside, so they didn’t have to make a fire. They simply changed clothes, went through their own night routine (which took Lance a lot longer than Keith), and cuddled together in bed. The warmth inside the house made cuddling a nasty experience, because they both sweat like hell. They still didn’t let go of the other. 

Lance laid as usual on Keith’s chest and listened to his heartbeat. The steady thrum calmed him, made him feel sleepy and safe. Keith wrapped his arms around the other and held him close. After three months he slowly got used to having him by his side. A constant in his life. 

A thing he didn’t knew he needed until he got it.

With a kiss on his hair he wished Lance goodnight and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of this chapter? The story will progress further in a few chapters, I’d like to concentrate on domestic fluff right now. 
> 
> Unnecessary information will be updates during the week!


	6. The Time with You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swimming in the lake and bonfires. Lance loves bonfires.
> 
> Oh! And a present.

_No, it has to be something special. Pidge, stop laughing. It don’t want to give him something he’d hate._

***

\- 14 weeks -

When the sun was shining, Lance was usually found laying on a towel on the boat bridge or in the lake. So when Keith got home, he parked the motorcycle and passed the house to greet his boyfriend outside. He heard the dabble from the distance, and as he got closer, he could see Lance floating in the water.

He took off his shoes and sat down on the edge of the boat bridge, hung his feet into the water and waited for the other to notice him. He took his time watching him, let his eyes roam over the familiar curves. Lance’s skin had darkened over the last month. They spend the better half of the day outside, savoring the warm sunshine and fresh air.

They slowly got used to having their own place. It felt lonely in the beginning, not being able to see their new friends all the time after spending almost two weeks together. But with their regular walks to Hunk’s place and visiting Pidge and her family, they quickly got rid of that feeling again.

Cold, wet fingers slung around his ankles and tugged gently. A head popped up between his legs and Keith was greeted with a sly grin.

“Don’t even think about it.” Keith immediately advised. 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t even think about pulling me into the water. Your present will get wet.”

Lance’s eyes widened and his sly grin turned to a surprised one.

“You brought me a present? But I thought you went to Pidge.”

“Yeah, I went to Pidge to pick it up. You would have found it if I had kept it here.”

Lance lifted himself on the boat bridge, grabbed his towel from behind Keith and dried off the upper half of his body. Keith watched a few droplets of water running down his chest and imagined tracing the tracks with his finger. Well, nothing hindered him, right? 

The soft touch of his fingers made Lance shiver. His nipples hardened slightly, and he stopped drying himself off to look at Keith with hazy eyes.

“I believe you said something about a present.”

“Maybe I’ll let you earn your present?” Keith said with a crooked grin. He bend forward to catch Lance’s lips with his own. Lance eagerly kissed back, and shuffled closer to Keith to put his hand on his left thigh. The hand moved higher, until Lance reached the pockets of Keith’s pants and felt them with his fingers. Lance sighed disappointed when he felt nothing in there.

“Wrong pocket, idiot.” Keith said between kisses. But before Lance could repeat the process on his other thigh, Keith separated from soft lips to fish the present out himself. He held the leather strap high, so Lance could take a look at the pendant.

The brunet inhaled sharply, his eyes widened and he lifted his hand, only to stop it midair. In front of him hung a pendant like the dog tag he used to wear, only slimmer and not engraved. The dark metal hung on a black leather strap. Two metal nuts in the same color kept the pendant in place. The necklace was clearly handmade, and Lance heart fluttered by the thought of wearing something Keith made just for him.

He looked from the pendant to his boyfriend. Keith was looking at him expectantly, a little blush painted his cheeks red. Lance felt his lips form to a big smile, and he finally moved his hand again to touch the cold metal. 

“You made this for me?” He asked. Keith nodded gently, taking the smile of the other as a sign that he liked the present. The nervousness slowly faded away. Lance took the necklace from Keith and observed it quietly. He held it like it was a treasure. 

He looked up again and his smile grew even wider. The brunet leaned forward and flung his arms around Keith’s shoulders. After the hug, Keith was pecked all over his face, until he was a blushing mess again. He’d probably never get used to Lance keen show of affection.

Lance gave the necklace back to Keith and turned around, so he could put it on for him. After Keith clasped the lock, he remembered something about the necklace.

“I choose the materials so you can still wear it while swimming.”

Lance grinned at him and dove back into the water to test Keith words. After a few seconds, he emerged between Keith’s legs again. He flashed him another smile while touching the necklace.

“Thank you. I love it.” 

Keith smiled back at him. He was just glad that Lance liked his present. It somehow satisfied him to see Lance wear something he had given him. The hickeys and bite marks would fade, but the necklace would stay around Lance’s neck as long as they were together. 

Cold fingers wrapped around his ankles and started tugging again. “So, can I pull you into the water now?”

“No, I’m not wearing any swimwear.”

Lance just shrugged. “Go naked.”

“I’ll sure as hell won’t swim naked while you wear your swim trunks.”

Seconds later, a pair of blue trunks landed next to Keith with a wet squelch. Keith looked from the wet pile to its owner, who swam a few feet away with a big smirk. 

“Can you repeat the last part?” 

Keith rolled his eyes at him and sighed in defeat. He’d never win an argument against Lance like this, and he wasn’t sure if he should mind the fact. He didn’t, so without another word, he took off his shirt, pants and boxers and slid into the cold water. 

He dove a few feet to get his hair wet and swam towards Lance, who was already waiting for him. They swam next to each other in silence for a while, enjoying the warm September sun and watching the nature around them. In the distance they could see the splash of some fish. Birds sung around them, clearly unfazed by the two men in the water. 

Sometimes, the wind would brush through the trees, playing with the branches and letting them hear the deep rustle of thousands of leaves. The sound of nature was around them, inciting and calming at the same time.

After playing in the water and splashing each other, they swam back to the boat bridge, lifted themselves on the old wood and just lay there, next to each other, letting the sun dry them. A breeze caressed over Keith’s skin, making him shiver. He scooted over to Lance, to snitch some warmth of the others body, and to simply feel him. 

Lance had his eyes closed. He took Keith’s hand wordlessly as he got closer. A small smile tug at his lips. Keith loved moments like this. The peace surrounding them, the warmth between them, the simple touch of reassurance that Lance never failed to give him. 

Keith doze off on the boat bridge. He didn’t know how long he was asleep, but when Lance nudged him awake, the sun was already setting and his skin was covered in goose bumps from the cold. It was still pretty warm outside, but laying buck-naked on wet wood for such a long time would make anyone shiver.

Keith put on his boxers and pants, but gave his shirt to Lance, so the other had at least something dry to cover up. They collected their stuff and hurried into the warm house to dry off and change clothes. 

When Keith emerged the bathroom with a towel around his shoulders to keep his damp hair from getting on his shirt, Lance ushered him back, grabbed a hairdryer and started combing through his hair with his fingers. Keith loved the treatment. He didn’t really care about it himself, but when Lance dried his hair like this, or made him work through one of his skincare routines, he didn’t really find it in him to complain. He just enjoyed the loving devotion Lance was showering him with.

 

***

 

Dinner was usually not a big deal. Lance preferred preparing breakfast or cooking up something for lunch. Most of the time, dinner consisted of some bread and leftovers from lunch, but Keith didn’t mind. Lance’s cooking had improved since he got lessons from Hunk, and Keith was just happy he could enjoy a warm, homemade meal every day.

Keith offered to do the dishes, so he washed the plates and pans while Lance prepared a bonfire outside. 

Strangely, bonfires really were Lance’s thing. Sure, he was a water person, preferred to stay in the lake on hot days or in the tub on cold ones, but almost every clear night, he insisted on a bonfire. Keith had always thought that fire was more his thing, you know, because his previous weapon was literally a fire blade. But Lance might love fire even more than him. 

When Keith asked him about it, Lance had stared into the flames for a long time before answer-ing. “You know, the movement of the flames, the warmth of the fire, the sound of the cracking wood; I just like it. It’s calming, like watching the lake by day.”

“Fire and water, hm? Just like us.”

“I love the combination.” Lance had said and snuggled closer to Keith, looking at him with dreamy eyes and smiling brightly after Keith had leaned forward to kiss him on his forehead. 

This night was the same. After Keith had finished the dishes, Lance came back, washed his hands and prepared two mugs with hot chocolate to enjoy by the fire. The flames were already playing with the wood, so Keith went outside and filled a bucket with some water from the lake.

He sat on the log that served as a bench and waited for his boyfriends. After a while, Lance joined him, handed him one of the hot mugs and placed a blanket next to them. 

They sat in silence for a while. Lance absently played with the pendant of his necklace. The fire warmed them from the outside, the drinks from the inside. After a while, Lance leaned his head on Keith’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Keith carefully placed the blanket around them, and placed his arm around Lance’s waist to hold him. 

The fire slowly burned down. Keith couldn’t get up to get more wood without disturbing the other, so he just waited until the ashes stopped glowing before gently shaking Lance awake. Keith dumped some of the water on the fireplace, just to be sure, and took Lance’s hand to guide him back inside. 

Lance could hardly keep his eyes open while undressing. He decided to skip his skin routine for the night and only brushed his teeth before falling into the sheets, right next to his boyfriend. He shifted a bit, so Keith could wrap his arms around him. 

With his last energy, he lifted his head and received a goodnight-kiss. He let his head fall back into the crook of Keith’s neck and whispered an answer to the ‘I love you’ he heard before drifting off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think about the story so far.
> 
> I decided to make a third part of the story, but with more action and less domestic fluff. So Eloping will be exclusively domestic fluff. 
> 
> Also, the next chapter will contain some smut again.
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> \- “…the necklace would stay around Lance’s neck as long as they were together…” Remember that sentence for part 3, folks!  
> \- It took me longer to find a fitting necklace than to write this part. In the end, I thought of something on my own.  
> \- Swimming naked.


	7. Slow mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit from Lance's POV: Morning workout, coffee, and morning workout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a sex scene. It starts at "Keith didn’t take his time today to drink his coffee today. He’d rather taste Lance on his lips right now." and goes until the end.  
> You can skip it without missing anything important.  
> So, you've been warned.
> 
> It’s Tuesday. I know. I’m sorry for updating late.
> 
> Next time will be on time again, promise. (Edit: Didn't keep my promise though, sorry.)

_The world could wait for a little bit. Now it was time to cuddle._

 

\- 16 weeks –

Lance was a morning person. He loved waking up with the sunrise, enjoyed the sound of nature around him and savored the hours he could stare at Keith’s beautiful sleeping face without the other complaining. Which he did right now. 

Keith was a cute sleeper. His face was slack, and sometimes he even snored a little bit. He usu-ally slept on his back or side, so he could wrap his arms around Lance through the night. Lance always fell asleep and woke in Keith’s arms, sometimes even without remembering how he even got to bed. 

A few rays of sunshine found their way through the curtains, a hot stripe on Lance’s back. It was in the middle of September. The days got shorter and fall was approaching. Some of the trees around the house already started turning yellow, even though the sun still shone hot throughout the day.

Lance slowly got up. He really tried to get out of the bed without disturbing his sleeping boyfriend, but he never really managed. Keith stirred and cracked an eye open. When his eyes fell on Lance, he sighed quietly and pushed himself on his elbows for a kiss. Lance met him halfway and pecked him a few times before he pushed him back into the sheets. With another sigh, Keith turned on his side and pulled the sheets over his head to get another half an hour or so of sleep.

The brunet walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker he had prepared the night before. He poured himself a glass of water before going to the bathroom to get his swimming trunks and a towel. He could hear the soft bubbling of the coffee water as he exited through the front door and rounded the house to the boat bridge. 

The air outside was chilly. A cold breeze over the lake reminded that it was almost time to change up his daily cardio from swimming to running with Keith. It was a shame he couldn’t swim anymore, but the thought of spending more time with his boyfriend made him happy. Keith liked jogging through the forest, and only the thought of him in loose workout clothes, a low ponytail to keep his hair out of the way, sweat covering his body, heavy breathing and…

And Lance was already half hard. He glanced back to the house, could see the curtains still closed and imagined Keith behind them, still laying in bed and patiently waiting for him to return. Or the coffeemaker finish brewing, whichever came first. 

He took a deep breath and dove headfirst into the cold water. Within a second the remaining tiredness was gone, his body tensed and he had to concentrate to not accidentally inhale from the sudden cold shock. He emerged a few feet away from the boat bridge and started with some strong breaststrokes before switching to crawl. 

His body slowly got used to the temperature and his muscles warmed him from the inside. It was probably a bad idea to dove into the water without stretching first, but he was just too lazy this morning; he’d rather to some other kind of workout right now. 

Even so Lance enjoyed his short swim. He continued crawling until his lungs burned, stopped and turned around to see how far he’d gotten. He grinned when he could not only see the small bay that kept their boat bridge and house hidden, but all the way to Hunk’s in the far distance. He’d swam about a mile. 

When he started his daily workout a few weeks ago, he’d only came about half the way without stopping. Sure, he was crawling rather slow, but a mile was still a mile, and more than Keith could manage. 

Oh right, Keith. 

Thinking of his sleeping boyfriend gave him the motivation to hurry back to his warm house to get some hot coffee and some even hotter… cuddles. Lance could rarely motivate him for sex before the first coffee of the day. Yes, he had tried. He could dance in front of him naked or suck his soul out through his cock, but Keith wouldn’t even flinch before finishing his cup. 

Lost in thoughts the way back passed quickly. He heaved himself onto the boat bridge, grabbed the towel and dried himself off while walking back to the house. He dried off his hair on the porch and left the towel and his trunks there to drip off.

Before he went inside, a movement near the motorcycle caught his attention. He saw two cats hurrying away from him, probably startled by Lance. He watched them disappear into the woods, remembering what Hunk had told him. The town housed apparently many cats, who wandered freely through the city and surrounding nature. ‘Somewhat like bears’, he had said. ‘Hunting in the forest all summer and sleeping in warm houses through winter.’

When he couldn’t see them anymore, he quickly got inside, prepared two cups of coffee and set them on their nightstand before snuggling back into the sheets. Keith was already awaiting him, sitting against the headpiece of the bed and holding his arms wide open. He didn’t even squirm when Lance pressed his cold body against him and snug a hand under his shirt to steal more body heat; he only wrapped the sheets tight around them and held him close.

After Lance’s body temperature was somewhat normal again, he peeked up from his sheet and found himself being stared at by violet eyes. He huffed and hid a grin with his hand. Keith didn’t even try to be subtle with his starring. Lance relished being looked at like this; being loved like this. Keith looked at him with such fondness, making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

Lance abandoned the warmth to lean up and steal a kiss from his boyfriend. Keith complied, pulled him up and closer to his chest, pecked him a few times before catching Lance’s lips and not letting go again. 

It was early, Keith had just woken up and his body was still sleepy. Holding Lance, cuddling and kissing him was pure muscle memory in the morning. Didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it. Lance could clearly feel the bulge starting to press into his hips. He started to squirm in Keith’s arms, so he could rub himself onto him, so he could feel him more. 

Keith’s grip around him didn’t falter, so Lance’s changed tactics from laying to sitting. In one swift motion, he sat himself on his boyfriends lap, moved up his hand which was still under Keith’s shirt. Keith got the cue and leaned a bit forward so Lance could easily pull it off. 

He threw the shirt behind him and connected their lips again. He was pleased to feel Keith’s hands wrap around his waist, so he placed his own hands on Keith’s chest to feel more of the warm skin. He stroke down Keith’s chest, tracing his abs down to the waistband of his boxers. But when he started to fumble with the fabric, Keith quickly grabbed his hands, broke the kiss to lean his head into Lance’s shoulder and groan. 

_Right._

No sex before coffee. 

Lance wordlessly picked up both cups from the nightstand, handed the red one to Keith and used the blue one to warm his hands a little more. He didn’t move from his spot, still straddling the raven's lap while enjoying his drink. 

They drank in silence. They heard a bird chirp from a tree in a distance, and sometimes the other take a sip from his drink. The sheets rustled whenever one of them moved a bit. Keith held his cup in one hand and traced with his other over the only thing Lance was wearing, his necklace, before placing on the brunet’s waist again.

Keith didn’t say anything about his partner’s choice of seat. He just really enjoyed the view. His eyes travelled up and down Lance’s naked body, watching his blush spread over cheeks, neck and shoulders, his muscles work under the soft brown skin, his thighs cradle Keith’s hip and his dick throb in anticipation.

It was a really good view.

Keith didn’t take his time today to drink his coffee today. He’d rather taste Lance on his lips right now.

He finished his coffee, grabbed Lance’s still half full mug and placed both of them on the nightstand. As he turned back, Lance was already leaning forward, eyes hazy and trained on his lips, just waiting for the raven’s next move. Keith gently placed on hand on Lance’s cheek and the other on his neck, guided him forward and pressed their lips together.

The kiss was unhurried and lazy. Their noses bumped together, making Lance giggle. He tilted his head and leaned into the kiss again. Now they fit perfectly. A delightful sigh escaped Keith’s lips between kisses.

He moved his hand from Lance’s neck down to his back and pressed their naked chests together. When Lance placed his hands around Keith’s shoulders and melted into him, Keith started to caress his back with his hands. He enjoyed the feeling of soft skin and lean muscles under his palms. He traced Lance’s spine with his fingers, all the way down to his cute dimples. 

With feather light touches he massaged his favorite spot on Lance’s back, making him gasp, press his chest into Keith’s and move his hips up, grinding ever so slightly. He was ticklish at this spot and Keith used it for his own pleasure. 

Lance didn’t stop kissing him as he slipped a hand down Keith’s chest and abs until he reached the fabric of his boxers. He tugged them lightly and Keith lifted his hips so Lance could pull them off. It wasn’t an easy task without breaking the kiss, but they always managed somehow. 

Lance reached under the pillow and fetched the bottle of lube from under it. He gave it to Keith who immediately opened it to cover his fingers. He warmed the gel between them and reached around Lance. He teased one finger over the rim, making Lance moan and whine into his mouth. 

Keith clearly enjoyed preparing him every time. He didn’t hide his grin or own moans while distracting Lance with his lips, sucking on caramel skin. New bruises joined the hickeys from the day before, all perfectly aligned around the necklace.

They took their time this morning. Nothing was planned for today; no one could disturb their peace right now. Lazy grinding and slow kisses heated both of them up, light sighs turned to soft moans and silent screams as the raven pushed all the right buttons. 

A second and third finger joined after a while, and when Keith deemed him ready, he pulled his fingers out, grabbed Lance’s hips and guided him slowly down. Both sighed in relieve as Lance bottomed out, and took a moment to just bath in the presence of the other. 

Lance moved one hand from Keith’s shoulders to his hair, tugged lightly, devoured the grunt he got with a kiss. Tongues started to twirl and hips to roll, the speed turned slowly up. 

Their usual hard pace always made him mindless, unable to speak any coherent word; every rational thought got pushed father away with every thrust. But the slow, sensual pace they indulged today filled Lance's head with only one thing. 

_Keith, Keith, Keith…_

Eventually, the heat started building up, a feeling to chase, a burning tickle deep inside, and they scratched it with every thrust. Keith shifted a bit, hit the good spot head-on. Pulled him up quicker and pushed him down harder every time. 

Lance gave in first. With a silent scream he released himself over Keith’s stomach, breath stuttering and movements erratic. Keith held him close, pushed into him two more times before burying himself deep into Lance. A low groan escaped his lips, and his movements changed from thrusting to gentle rocking. 

He rested his forehead on Lance’s shoulder as both men tried to even their breath again. Keith pulled Lance into his chest and shuffled down, so they could both lie down more comfortable. Since his boyfriend in his lap probably didn’t even think of getting up, he simply grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them over Lance’s shoulders. Cleaning up would have to wait for a few moments.  


Days could always start like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You want to hear good news? I’m on vacation, probably until January, maybe even longer (depending on when my new company will have a place in retraining for me). So I’ve got some time to write.
> 
> Tell me what you think about this chapter. Do you even like the smut or should I just skip it?
> 
> Btw, you’re comments on the last chapter cracked me up. Sorry I’d scare you. But don’t worry, I promise that ‘Eloping’ is a happy place, strictly domestic fluff (and some crappy smut). Angst will not appear in this part!
> 
>  
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> \- So Keith is basically me: I’m not a person before the first cup of coffee in the morning. Basically non-existent before caffeine.  
> \- Blue and red cups, of course.  
> \- They used to work out a lot for their previous jobs, so they stick to light workouts in their free time, out of habit.  
> \- Sometimes they have sex because they’re bored.


	8. Lazy days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some breakfast in bed, some window shopping and some more coffee.
> 
> But it's more about talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having problems writing right now, because it's pretty hard to write stuff without getting too far off their personalities (if you undestand what I mean...).
> 
> I'll try to stay true to Lance's and Keith's nature, while also deepening their relationship (which is pretty deep already...).

_\- You haven’t been to the little café at the main street yet? You should definitely check it out. I swear, you will love it!_

_\- We will go there next week, Hunk. We promise._

 

***

 

\- 19 weeks -

Mornings started to be slower, now that Lance had given up swimming in the freezing lake. Not that Keith minded the thirty minutes for himself every morning, but now he didn’t have to bear with cold limps when Lance came to cuddle afterwards. Now he could simply enjoy the coziness between them. 

They had started to sleep a little longer, since the sun came up later every morning and they didn’t want to get up while it was still dark outside. Lance quickly got used to the extended sleeping hours, and hardly woke up before Keith nowadays. He was a heavy sleeper anyway, and without the sun sneaking its warm rays through the curtains, nothing could disturb his slumber. 

And Keith would be dammed it he woke his sleeping partner before it was necessary. He’d rather enjoy the warm and heavy, but pleasant weight on his chest a little longer.

Sometimes, when the sun didn’t manage to win against rain clouds, when it was dark and cold outside, when both didn’t find any motivation to do anything, they would just call in a ‘lazy-day’ and stay in bed. One of them would get up to grab some coffee, the other prepare for breakfast in bed, and between meals they would maybe read a book, or take a nap, have some fun time with each other, or simply talk. 

Talking with each other was something Lance had insisted on in the very beginning of their relationship. He made it clear that he didn’t want any secrets between them. Keith had been reluctant at first, sharing his past wasn’t something he’d ever done. But Lance had been able to change his mind pretty quickly. With his sincerity and trust in his partner he had him wrapped around his finger in their first weeks together. 

Keith still didn’t really like talking about his past, since everything he had to tell was kind of depressing and he didn’t want to make it uneasy between them. He could hardly remember his real parents, his time in foster care was not something worth sharing, and everything between foster care and meeting Lance was not something he was particularly proud of. 

So when they talked, it was usually him listening to one of Lance’s stories about his family, his life before the army, or his time as a sidekick. Something happy, something funny, something worth sharing. Something that made Keith always want to continue listen. 

Lost in his own thoughts he didn’t notice that Lance slowly stirred awake. Only when he heard an unpleased grumble from his boyfriend, he looked down and was greeted with a sleepy frown. 

“Please don’t say it’s morning yet.” His voice was hoarse and cracked at the end, the words were mumbled and made Keith huff out a quiet laugh.

“Okay, I won’t say it then.” Lance could hear the smile in Keith’s voice, hid his own in the arch of the ravens neck and groaned in response. He had really gotten used to sleeping in, and without the cold shock from the lake every morning he had problems waking up properly. 

Lance glanced up at Keith and activated his puppy eyes for the most important question of the day. 

“Can you make breakfast?” Keith managed to close his eyes before the effect could make an impact and continued to blatantly ignore his boyfriend’s pleading.

“Keith?” 

He didn’t move.

“Please, I’m hungry.”

Oh? Well, he had an answer for that. “Then eat something.”

“I can’t! I’m too weak to stand up.” Lance dramatically threw a hand over his forehead and rolled off of Keith, playing something like a very bad version of a dying fish. It made Keith roll his eyes and desperate to fight any other reaction that could encourage Lance even further.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Yes, but I’m _your_ idiot.” He couldn’t argue with that. And before he could think of a response, Lance started to groan loudly, but not the pleasant sound that Keith could make him do, more like a mixture of croaking doors and howling dogs. 

Keith fled into the kitchen, purposely ignoring the growing volume of what seemed to be dying whale screams now, and got to work. Since he was still not allowed near the stove, the breakfast choices were a bit limited, but even he managed to prepare some cereals without burning them. The coffee machine was an even easier task; he simply had to press one button. Lance still prepared the machine in the evening, probably so Keith wouldn’t be able to mess this up. 

He took a tray and put the bowls with cereals on it, poured them two glasses of juice and finished the menu with two cups of coffee once the coffee machine was finished. With a full tray in his hands he returned to his dying whale that was so kind to turn the volume of his groaning down to a less annoying level. 

He only stopped the noise completely when Keith nudged him with a foot to move over, so both could sit on the bed comfortably. He earned his thank-you-kiss from Lance, and another one, “Just because.” the brunet explained with a smirk. 

They ate while talking. Well, Lance talked. He told Keith one of his childhood stories, the one where he almost drowned while surfing one day, only to return to the beach the next day to keep on practicing. His stories were usually funny, or at least entertaining, and most of the time Keith was left wondering how the hell Lance had managed to survive until now. 

Okay, Keith wasn’t stupid, and after the first two months he’d grasp the little things in Lance’s facial expressions while talking to distinguish the true stories from the ones that were maybe a little bit exaggerated. The true stories were generally starring his siblings or mother, and his eyes always seemed to sparkle while speaking of them. 

Even if he talked about the crazy stuff his mother threatened to punish him with. 

Even if he talked about all the fights and arguments he had with his siblings.

Even if he talked about how much he missed them sometimes. 

 

***

 

The day started as a ‘lazy-day’, but after the while Lance couldn’t stay in bed anymore. They decided to use the broken afternoon to finally explore more of the shops on the town’s main street. Now, in the middle of autumn, the rich people were back to the big cities, and shops had changed their range to please the locals again. 

Hunk’s little grocery store had shortened the openings hours, and Pidge used her new free time to get back to studying from home. The restaurant was still well patronized, and Hunk and Shay had hardly any time for themselves, even less for their friends. 

Lance and Keith spend more and more time together. The almost constant presence of the other didn’t faze them, but every now and then they made some plans attend their friendships. Lance took it in his own hands to visit Hunk and Shay regularly in their restaurant, and Keith used the time to pester Pidge a bit or help Mr. Holt repair something in their house. Keith knew a few things about craftsmanship, but it was always good and also fun to learn more. 

Today though was all about them, and being together. Exploring stuff had always been a thing for them, ever since they had started their journey. They hadn’t travelled for a long time, but they had seen a lot of things, and the curiosity in both men hadn’t burned down with their decision to stay in Altea. It only got redirected to the local area. 

So, after another nap and a long make-out session, they got dressed and drove into the town. Like the trees around their house, the ones in the city had changed their colors to beautiful shades of red, yellow and brown. Maple trees and oaks were the most common trees around the area, together with chestnuts and pine trees. The leaves had already started to fall and covered the front yards in pretty colors.

The air was chilly, and Lance was glad that Keith had insisted on warm coats and gloves. They parked the bike at the end of the road and walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, stopped for some window shopping or to talk to some of the locals they knew. 

After a while, Lance got rid of one glove, stole one from Keith and laced their bare hands together. He hid a smile behind his scarf when Keith shoved their intertwined hands in the pocket of his jacket to keep them warm. Walking got harder like this, so they made sure to stay close to each other, shoulders constantly bumping together and hands never getting cold. 

Lance stopped them at a café Hunk had recommended them. It was a small shop with a bar, all kinds of wooden coffee tables between worn down couches and loveseats in the back and normal chairs and tables in the front. Plants were placed on every space that was available, including the windowsills, bookshelves and every table. Photos of the city or well-known spots of the surrounding forest hung on the wall. 

The place looked incredibly comfy and homey, almost like Hunk and Shay’s apartment. They sat down on one of the sofas in the back. When the waitress reached them to take their orders, Lance immediately knew why it looked so familiar in here. The waitress had black hair, brown skin and teddy bear eyes, a calming smile and a bright yellow apron. 

Well, now they knew where Hunk got his looks from, and that he was apparently not ashamed to do some advertising for his mum’s place. 

The waitress recognized the two boys as well. She brought them their drinks and they talked a bit about her and Hunk’s businesses and Shay’s talent at interior decoration. She had, of course, helped furnishing the café. 

Hunk’s mum, Hana, eventually had to get back to work and left Lance and Keith to their own again. They enjoyed the delicious coffee and some cake, admired Shay’s work another time and listened to the soothing background music between talking. They hadn’t planned anything else besides checking out the café, so they took their time in there, and only left when the sun started to set. 

Hand in hand they returned to the bike, and Lance might have held on a little tighter than usual on their way back. It was just a nice feeling, pressing his chest against his boyfriends back while driving.

They passed the two cats Lance had seen before on their way home. They were sitting on a log next to the road, and didn’t even bother to move when they heard the bike approaching. Lance frowned at them; they were awfully close to their home. He tapped Keith’s helmet with his own and gestured to the cats.

“I saw them near the house. Don’t pet or feed them when they get close, okay?”

Keith took a quick look at them, and continued his steady pace towards the house. “Sure. But why?”

“They will get used to this and will stay the whole winter if we don’t watch out.”

Keith hummed his response. Pleased with the answer, Lance laid his head back on Keith’s shoulder and watched the golden-brown forest pass until they returned home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so don’t scream at me that Lance gets homesick sometimes! It happens, and he deals with it. 
> 
> I'm not completly happy with this chapter, because I think it's kind of shallow. Well, more shallow than the other chapters. This story isn't meant to be deep to begin with. 
> 
> Again, I'd love to hear your opinions!
> 
>  
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> \- Of course he lets Keith distract him from his homesickness. Keith loves distracting.  
> \- Hunk is a great cook, Hunk’s mum is great at baking and Shay is actually a really good bartender, even though she works as a waitress.  
> \- Keith has a good relationship with Sam Holt, since they both like repairing stuff.  
> \- Lance sends Keith out to distract Pidge from her schoolwork, because she would overwork herself if someone didn’t stop her from time to time.


	9. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A romantic date night and more cheesy lines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In UTC time, it's still Monday.

_Hunk, dude, my man. We both know how to swim, okay? We won't drown! Just- just give me the damn boat._

 

***

\- 22 weeks –

 

They loved the forest surrounding their house, don’t get them wrong. They loved watching the nature, walking on old animal trails, exploring hidden paths and just generally being there.

But there was one thing you really couldn’t do with all those leaves and branches above your head. And Keith really missed it. 

Stargazing.

Lance recognized the distant gaze and sad smile whenever Keith looked at the sky at night. He wasn’t stupid; he knew he looked the same when he thought about his family. 

See, for Keith, who never really had a home, or a family, or any constant in his life, the sky seemed like a safe haven. It was always there, always the same. Even if the stars were hidden behind clouds or it was new moon, he knew that they were still there, and they wouldn’t change. 

Lance had learned the constellations from his mother. And his mother had learned them from her father, and so on. It was a family tradition. Every kid got to sit down with their parent and spend some time together, learning about the moon, and the stars and the known universe. 

Keith also knew star constellations, but he hadn’t had the chance to learn them from his parents. He studied them himself instead, and the more he learned about them, the more he loved them. 

Their nights in the desert were probably one of the best times they’d spend together. Most of the time they had camped outside, wrapped up in thick clothes so they didn’t have to lit a bonfire and could look at the stars above them instead. 

It sure was beautiful, the light of the stars in the wasteland. The sky looked like a dark, sparkling ocean, always the same but always different. Lance had learned a lot more about constellations from Keith, and he didn’t hesitate to share everything about his favorite thing with him. Lance had probably heard him talk more about the stars than his past. 

Keith loved the stars, but where they lived, surrounded by tall trees, he didn’t really have a place where he could watch them without any disturbance. Where he could just lay down and sink into the sea of twinkling light, enveloped in the faint glow of the moon.

That’s where Hunk came into play. One day, this giant genius told Lance about one of his first dates with Shay, where he took the boat from his mum’s and went on a picnic with her, just them and some great food. The lake was the only place where you could see the sky without any trees or houses disturbing the view. 

The lake was somehow like the desert, wide and desolate, and in a boat it would be just them. Just them and the sky.

That’s the reason why Keith found an actual boat tied on their usually empty boat bridge one night. It was filled with blankets and pillows from their house and a picnic basket. He looked between the boat and his boyfriend, one eyebrow raised in question. 

“What is this?”

“A boat.”

Keith suppressed an annoyed groan and elaborated his question instead. “I can see that. Why is one of Hunk’s boats tied to our boat bridge?”

“It’s for our date.” Lance smile turned into a smug grin, probably because of Keith’s confusion over the damn boat.

“What?”

“We haven’t had a real date in like, two months, and I wanted to do something special.”

“By renting a boat?” Their date nights had been scarce in the last couple months, but Keith still couldn’t imagine Lance’s intentions.

“By bringing you nearer to your favorite thing in this world. The sky!”

“With a boat?”

Lance rolled his eyes and nudges Keith’s shoulder. “Stop asking and get in there.”

 

***

 

It was a row boat, and since Keith didn’t know where they were going, Lance had to take on the duty of rowing. He didn’t mind at first, it was a nice workout and as soon as he figured out how to row correctly, it was actually fun. But fun turned to agony quite soon, because rowing was fucking exhausting and he wasn’t used to the unfamiliar movements. 

When they finally reached the place of Lance’s choice, he was breathing heavy and felt every muscle in his back ache. 

Keith had watched the spectacle, which was more of a drama than anything else, with amusement. His gaze was focused on his boyfriend and the shore in the distance; he still didn’t really understand why they had to take a boat to the middle of the lake to see the sky when they had a perfectly fine view from the boat bridge. Sure, the view was half-hidden by the trees, but still…

Lance threw a little anchor into the water, carefully sat up from the little bench in the middle of the boat and moved towards Keith who was sitting at the bow. But instead of sitting next to him, he laid down on the floor which was covered in the blankets, placed a pillow under his head and gestured to Keith to do the same. 

Keith didn’t really feel at ease laying down in a boat in the middle of a big lake, wrapped up in heavy clothes because it was freezing out there. But he did it anyway, maybe because he didn’t want to hear Lance complaining, maybe because he was really curious what Lance wanted to achieve with all this.

And wow, he was sure glad he did it. 

When he looked up, his breath hitched and his eyes widened. His heart might have stopped for a beat or two, because of the familiar yet stunning sight. The night sky was stretching out in front of him, nothing else than stars and the moon, framed by the wooden planks of the boat. It looked like a beautiful painting.

It looked like… it looked exactly like their first night in the desert. 

Sure, he had seen the stars several times since they started to live in Altea, but never without a tree or a cloud obscuring the view. And laying here, covered in warm clothes and blankets, with the guy he loved next to him, threw him back to that night, where he had felt truly free and truly happy for the first time in his life. 

Keith looked to his boyfriend, who was already starring at him with a smug grin on his lips. Lance knew what the stars meant to him, and Keith was sure that he didn’t need to say anything to convert his feelings. He simply leaned forward and kissed the smugness from his boyfriends face. It didn’t work though, the grin only turned wider.

“So you like it?” Lance asked between kisses. He knew already, but he wanted to hear the answer, just to be sure. 

“Yeah, I really do.”

They kissed a bit more until they were both warmed up, but stopped quickly when the boat started to sway. They really didn’t want to fall into the water. Lance sat up instead and grabbed a few snacks and two cups, filled with hot chocolate from a thermal jug. They enjoyed the late meal before laying back down and intertwining their cold hands. Neither had thought of gloves.

The night was beautiful, and Lance really wished that it could go on forever. Sometimes he wondered if their relationship would go on forever, or if Keith would stop loving him one day. 

“Keith?” 

“Hmm?”

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” He just needed some reassurance from time to time. 

“I don’t know, I never really thought about it.” Keith knew him well, and always knew what to say at important moments like this. He carefully moved on his side, so he could look better at Lance. “I don’t care where I am in ten years though, as long as you’re with me.”

“Fucking sap.” Both chuckled. “I feel the same way.”

 

***

 

When they finally laid in their cozy bed that night, fingers stiff, backs aching and feet half frozen, Keith wrapped Lance into his arms again and pressed his boyfriend to his chest. The night had been perfect, but there was one thing he had to make clear. 

“You know, the stars aren’t my favorite thing in the world.”

“What is your favorite thing then?”

“You are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 was really weak, I know. I hope I improved this time, even if this chapter is really short. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think.
> 
>  
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> I had to read the story again to get some inspiration and ideas to write, and came to a few conclusions.
> 
> \- For Keith it was love at first sight!  
> \- They talk hella lot.  
> \- But I don’t let them talk so much, because I hate writing dialogues.  
> \- Lance really likes taking care of Keith.  
> \- Keith: food + coffee > sex  
> \- Lance: food + coffee < sex  
> \- This fic is clearly longer than 4-6 chapters...


	10. Warm and Comfy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They use the fireplace and Lance learns something new about Keith. Or a few things.

_After six months, Keith had found his own way to win arguments against his boyfriend._

 

***

 

\- 25 weeks –

It got colder outside, and Lance and Keith mostly stayed in the house. They only really went out now to go grocery shopping or to grab some firewood. Chopping wood was still Keith’s task, but he had prepared enough beforehand to get them comfortably through the winter. 

Since the house was mostly used as a vacation home for summer, the Holt’s had never bothered to equip it with a proper heating system. But the house was so small, so the fireplace in the living room was sufficient to heat the whole place. 

Instead of bonfires, they warmed up in front of the fireplace most evenings. Keith was in charge of the fire and Lance always prepared something warm to drink, some tea or hot chocolate. Lance had even managed to convince Keith to buy one of those fluffy fake fur carpets. They put it in front of the fire and enjoyed the soft feeling on their bare skin together. 

A fireplace sure was a nice thing. It gave off warmth and comfort, made the place homier, and was just generally really romantic. Many evenings were spend cuddled together in blankets on their couch, with soft kisses and gentle touches, shared thoughts and funny stories.

Most of the time, Lance fell asleep first. Who could blame him? Feeling warm and safe in the arms of his boyfriend, anyone would peacefully fall asleep. Keith usually carried him to bed then, carefully so Lance wouldn’t wake up. 

Sometimes though, even Keith didn’t manage to stay awake long enough to get them to their bed. They only realized their mistake in the morning, when they woke up with aching necks and stiff limbs. The couch was for sitting after all, not for sleeping.

It happened more often than they’d like to admit. And they didn’t learn from it. The fireplace was just too nice. So what if they woke up sore from time to time. They would be sore from their other nighttime activities anyway. The fireplace was just an addition to the causes.

 

***

 

Lance’s abuela had five cats in her house and about ten more that lived on the street, but always returned to her for some food. She had always preached that cat’s were really sentimental beings, able to pick up one person’s feelings and nature. Cats knew if someone was a nice or a bad guy, and if they were wanted in someone’s home or not. They always choose their family on their own. 

Lance had always believed that her fifteen cats always came back for the food. He knew that you couldn’t force a cat to stay, unless you lock her up. And he knew that his abuelo didn’t like the cats, and he didn’t hesitate to voice his opinion. To anyone besides Lance’s abuela, of course. The cats probably wouldn’t have liked living in a house where half of the habitants hate them. But still, they always returned.

With those memories in the back of his mind, Lance grew more and more confused over the fact that he saw those two cats more often the colder it got. He didn’t feed the cats, he didn’t lock them up, and he most certainly didn’t want them near their house. So why did they return all the time?

The question remained unanswered until one morning.

It hadn’t snowed yet, but the ground was already frozen and Hunk had told him that he already could smell the snow, so it would be only a matter of days now. The weather forecast told them the same. 

Lance had completely converted from an early riser to a grumpy long sleeper, and Keith had successfully expanded his breakfast offer from cereal to cereal and toast. (Yes, he was still not allowed near the stove.)

So it happened from time to time that Keith got up before Lance and, like the dutiful boyfriend he was, prepared breakfast. And sometimes Lance even managed to emerge from bed before Keith finished his three course menu (coffee, juice, and cereal or toast) and help a little bit.

That day his help consisted of going outside and fetch some of the firewood they had stacked on their porch. He grabbed Keith’s boots and his jacket, opened the door and closed it quickly behind him, so he would get any cold air into their living room. 

At the loud ‘bang’ of the door, Lance heard some rustling around the corner of the house and the sound of light footsteps fading into the distance. He quickly bent over the railing of the porch to the source of the sounds and could see the familiar shape of two cats hushing into the forest. A question crossed his mind, making him actually get off the porch and round the house to look what the cats were doing there.

He didn’t really know what he had expected; he did know though that he hadn’t expected two of _their_ bowls. The red one filled with milk, the blue one with _their_ leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. And they didn’t even lay on the ground, no, they laid on top of some kitchen paper, clearly from _their_ kitchen.

Lance didn’t really know if he should laugh from amusement or scream of anger. He clearly remembered asking Keith to _not_ feed the cats. A quick thought occurred to him that maybe Keith didn’t do it, but that was just stupid. 

He settled for not being too angry, at least. 

The cold got to him now, and he started to shiver under his thin jacket and pajama pants. Like Keith, who was still inside though, he didn’t wear a shirt. Lance stopped his investigations and quickly got back to the porch for his original task. 

With his arms full, he went inside and to their fireplace, threw some wood in the small flames and set the remaining blocks next to it. Then he went back to the kitchen and watched Keith standing in front of him at their table, spreading some butter on the bread. 

If Keith wanted to feed the cats, Lance wasn’t the one forbid it.

He just really wished Keith had told him instead of leaving him wondering why the fuck the cats came back all the time. He didn’t really want to let him get away with it so easily. It was time for some teasing. Lance fought down his smirk when he thought of the perfect way.

“Man, I’m totally in the mood for pasta with meatballs this morning.”

Keith stilled his motion and looked up. Lance could see the slight panic in his eyes. He thought of an answer admirably fast. “I’m almost done with the toast, though.”

“We could eat both.”

“Uhm…” That left him at a loss of words apparently. Lance decided to relieve him of the pressure for a short while.

“Or not, I mean pasta for breakfast is really weird, and doesn’t really go with the orange juice.”

“Haha, yeah… right.”

Oh man, was he sweating. Lance enjoyed that way too much. But he didn’t want his boyfriend to suffer for too long; he could already see the gears turning in his head, trying to think of something inconspicuous to say. 

Lance rounded the table and hugged his boyfriend from behind. He started to pepper his neck with some kisses, which wasn’t really easy, because of the hair in his way. He switched to his naked shoulder, tasted the skin and breathed in Keith’s scent. He still smelled like cinnamon and pine trees. 

Lance rested his chin on Keith’s shoulder and decided that now was a good time to clear everything up. Fast and easy, like pulling off a band-aid.

“Babe?”

“Hmmm?”

“Did you feed the cats?”

Keith stiffened in his arms. He was purposely not turning his head around to meet Lance’s eyes. “Uhm… no?” 

“Oh? So the cats just sneaked into the house, grabbed two bowls, filled them with the leftover meatballs from yesterday and some milk, went outside again, and put the bowls around the corner of the house where I usually don’t look, all on their own?”

“Maybe?”

“Keith!”

“Okay, okay. I put the bowls outside for them.”

“I thought I asked you not to feed them.”

“But they’re really friendly, and cuddly, and the dark one really reminds me of you, and they kept me company when you were at Hunk’s place… and they don’t make so much work, they’re outside most of the day anyway. I just thought… maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe we could keep them?”

“No.”

“Only for the winter?”

“No! You can feed them, but they’re not going to stay in the house.”

”Lance, please?”

“Keith, no!”

In their time together, Lance had learned a few things about Keith. That he couldn’t cook for his life, and even though he was the personification of fire, Lance would never allow him near a stove again. 

That he liked repairing their house on his own, sometimes with a little help from Lance, but taking care of everything besides housework was just really his thing. 

And that he needed some time to learn new stuff, like how to fix their sink, or how to open up to his boyfriend, or how to efficiently use puppy eyes and pouting. But after six months of watching and studying Lance, he had fully mastered it, and used it against his boyfriend in full force. 

“Please?”

Lance didn’t stand a chance. He still tried though, stared right back into Keith’s violet eyes, and on his lovely pink lips, formed to an adorable pout. He looked like a small puppy that had been told that he wouldn’t get a treat. And Lance wasn’t someone who could resist those puppy eyes, especially from his boyfriend.

He closed his eyes, rested his forehead on Keith’s shoulder in defeat and sighed deeply. “Fine. But they’re _your_ responsibility!”

Keith’s pout turned to a victorious smile and he kissed his boyfriends temple apologetically. “I love you, babe!”

“I love you, too.” Lance grumbled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a cat on my lap while writing this. She literally forced herself on me.
> 
> I’d love to hear your thoughts on that chapter. Btw, we are slowly coming to an end of this fic.
> 
> Unnecessary information:
> 
> \- Yes, they are called Red and Blue.  
> \- My cat reminds me of Red. She is a sneaky little bitch.  
> \- Imagine sex in front of a fireplace on a fake fur carpet. Someone should write this kinky shit.  
> \- I had to read my first fic again to remember how Keith smelled like. Shame on me for forgetting.


	11. Soft times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just kisses.

_\- Keith, milk is not good for cats._

_\- What? Please don’t tell me I poisoned them!_

 

***

 

\- 27 weeks -

The first snow came and vanished, only a few days later it decided to stay. The surrounding nature was covered in white; the forest was quiet and somewhat eerie. Lance decided to not stay at home alone anymore. The rare occasions Keith went out without him, he made sure that the cats kept him company. 

He had come to like the presence of Red and Blue in his home. The sight of them snuggling into the cushions of their couch in front of the fireplace really gave the house a domestic feeling. With a cat in his lap, coffee in his hand and his love huddling against his side, everything was perfect. 

Keith had of course now clue about the correct keeping and feeding of cats. Lance felt his assumption proven by the fact that Keith thought milk was good for them. He had a few things to learn, but he was eager. Lance might have threatened to throw all three of them out if Keith didn’t take up the responsibility.

It was funny to see how his strong and sometimes grumpy boyfriend turned to a cooing mess in front of the animals. He spoiled them a lot, with expensive food, fluffy blankets and excessive cuddling sessions. Lance was glad that the cuddling sessions always included him. And he was most definitely amused by the baby talk Keith used with the cats.

For the first time since actually moving into the house, they purposely used the bedroom door. They had never really closed it before, since they were awake or asleep at the same time, most of the time. So they didn’t need to use it to keep the others sleep undisturbed. But with two new roommates, Lance and Keith, but most of all Lance, felt like they needed some privacy inside the bedroom. 

So at night, at sometimes during the day, they closed that door to resume to more private affairs. Sometimes the cats stayed outside the house for more than just a few minutes to do their business, and the men could do some of their bedroom activities well… outside the bedroom. For example on the kitchen table, or on the couch that nowadays always seemed to be occupied. 

It was late already, the sun had set a few hours ago and it had started to snow lightly again. The snow didn’t pile up too much yet, only about three inches. The cats were outside, but Lance wasn’t worried about them. They had lived outside the whole summer, they could handle a little bit of snow. Keith got twitchy though. Lance felt the need to distract his poor boyfriend from his worries. 

Like almost every evening after dinner, he prepared some hot chocolate for both of them while Keith looked after the fire. With two cups in one hand he snatched his boyfriend and cuddled with him on the couch. They enjoyed their drink, and only when both cups stood on the small coffee table Lance turned around in Keith’s arms to press his nose into the crook of his neck. 

Keith always smelled nicer in the evening, when the scent of their shower gel had vanished and his hair and skin smelt like… just like Keith again. Lance took a deep breath which earned him a chuckle from his partner.

“You’re smelling me again?” The amusement in his voice was hard to miss.

“I can’t help it, you smell so good. Like cinnamon and pine trees, and like home.”

Lance felt a hot breath and soft lips on his temple. Just a chaste kiss, but it wasn’t nearly enough. He left the comfort of Keith’s neck and turned his head to look at his partner. A small smile tugged at the ravens lips. A sign of happiness and trust for Lance. From the very beginning Keith had always smiled at him, but the content and dreamy look on his face had only appeared after quite some time spend together. Lance felt revered that these smiles were only for him. 

To get more comfortable, they changed positions on the couch. Keith put his legs up and leaned back against a big pillow on the armrest, sitting almost upright. Lance crawled between his legs and snuggled himself against Keith’s chest. Thanks to his flexibility, it was easy for him to reach up and sneak a few kisses from his boyfriend. 

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s back and held him up whenever he wanted a kiss. One hand travelled under Lance’s pullover. He warmed his cold palm on his boyfriends hot skin, much to the others dismay. Lance wriggled in his arms, but soon gave up after Keith used his knees to hold him in place. There was no escape, so Lance just accepted his fate and endured the cold hand. With a sigh he slumped into Keith’s chest and laid still.

After his hand had warmed up a bit, Keith started to caress the soft skin under his palm. With light strokes he could feel every curve of Lance’s body, and the lean muscles that wove through his back.

He loved how Lance could bend his back to reach for a kiss without any strain, like now. He didn’t even have to move his head to receive the soft lips with his own. He just held him in his arms, pressed to his chest, and moved his free hand to Lance’s chin so he could lead the kiss a little. 

Both knew that the kiss wasn’t ending soon. Lance moved his arms slowly from Keith’s stomach to his chest, rested his pointy elbows carefully on his lover and busied his hands on pale cheeks, which were now a bit flushed. Lance would happily, but not easily give away the lead of their make out session. He always had to put up a little fight at first, just for fun.

Keith took up the challenge with a smirk. Both knew the rules of their little ritual. First some chase kisses, progressing to a proper one. Second their small fight for dominance, mostly with the usual outcome of Keith leading. Third the fun, starting with a tongue sweeping over soft lips, sometimes accompanied by a relaxed sigh or a faint chuckle, before Lance’s surrendered. He eagerly parts his lips, again accepting his fate, or rather enjoying it with his entire mind. 

It never grew old. Keith liked to explore his body, and every lick, nip and bite sparked a drolly feeling inside Lance. From their kisses both men knew what to expect from the night. Today wasn’t heated or fast. Today was slow and comfy, basking in the others presence and attention. Getting their fill of their partner’s warmth, and reaffirming feelings without having to speak them out. Keith was better at showing his feelings with actions anyway.

Keith knew that sometimes reassurance was important for Lance. And he liked giving it to him at any moment. Today he didn’t feel the sheepish question every time their lips came together. Still he made clear what he felt about his boyfriend. What he liked about his boyfriend. With slow kisses and gentle caresses Lance received every message willingly. 

A soft sigh escaped Lance’s lips, and Keith moved away to take a look at his love. His ocean blue eyes seemed to blaze, and his skin glowed under Keith’s gaze. His checks were flushed and lips a bit swollen. The beautiful sight made him smile. 

Lance returned his smile and didn’t hesitate to look at his boyfriend as well. Keith’s hair was a bit ruffled from Lance’s hands; he hadn’t even realized that they had wandered up there. Keith’s hand was still at his chin, so Lance tilted his head a bit to sneak a kiss on his fingertips. The hand moved onto his cheek, and he felt more than saw the thumb softly stroking his skin. 

Lance moved a last time to catch another kiss, and with another content sigh he shuffled a bit down to lay on Keith’s chest again. He could hear a strong but calm heartbeat right under his ear, his own in a matching rhythm. Keith had moved his hand onto Lance’s neck and played with the hair in his nape. It tickled a bit, making Lance nuzzle his nose into Keith’s sweater. 

The steady rhythm calmed him. Keith’s touch grounded him. The gaze he could still feel on him made Lance feel protected and safe. He really wished he could stop the time right now. Prolong this perfect moment and never let it pass. 

 

They only parted when they heard a faint scratching at the door. With a smirk and a last stolen kiss Lance got up to let the cats in. Keith followed him, petted the cats a few times before grabbing some towels to dry the cats a little. They didn’t want them to spread molten snow in the whole house. 

Lance and Keith returned to the couch, same position as before, chest on chest, but now waiting for Red and Blue to join them. They didn’t have to wait long. Blue eagerly sat herself on Lance’s back, enjoying the body heat she stole from one owner and the scratches she got from the other. Red didn’t like petting as much, but still enjoyed the company. She slept on the backrest of the couch at their feet. Out of reach for any accidental touching, but still near her mate. 

The loud and deep purr of Blue was hypnotizing, and soon Lance felt himself dozing off in Keith’s warm embrace. The faint cracking of burning firewood brought him back a few times, but with the warmth surrounding him, it didn’t manage to keep him awake. The whole house slowly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter, I tried to keep it... cozy? I can't find the right words. 
> 
> Let me know what you think :)
> 
> Unnecessary information:  
> \- Seriously, milk is not good for cats.  
> \- Lance has already built a snowman outside.  
> \- Keith had to warm him up after building the snowman.  
> \- I don’t know why I always let them drink hot chocolate though, it’s snowing outside and I drink beer, so I don’t know where that comes from.


	12. Truly happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very merry Christmas spend together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear people who found these notes. 
> 
> First of all, I´m sorry for posting so late. But it was so hart to end the story! Seriously, I´ve been working on this story for the past 3 months. It´s weird that it´s over now...
> 
> A big thank you for everyone who read and commented on the story and left their kudos. Guys, you´re comments made me soooo happy gave me sooooo much motivation to continue and I really tried my best to please you all with a good story, and a happy ending. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Eloping.

_Dear mom,_

_I wish we could spend the holidays together, but it´s not possible right now. Maybe next year. You don´t have to worry about me, I´m healthy and happy. I´ll spend Christmas with my boyfriend, Keith. I really want you to meet him. You will love him!_

_I hope you and Dad can spend a wonderful Christmas together with everyone. Please tell everyone I said hi, and don´t let Isabella eat too many cookies! Oh, and don´t let Grandpa tell Luis about his time in Italy again. Seriously, he is still a kid, he doesn´t need to know about Grandpa´s singlehood before he met Grandma. I have still nightmares from his stories!_

_Anyway, I hope you have a nice time together. Sorry I can´t be there with you. I´m happy though I can spend my time with Keith, and our two cats. We only adopted them a few weeks ago, so they´re not on the photo. I´ll send you a picture of all of us as soon as possible._

_Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!_

_Love, Lance_

 

***

 

\- 29 weeks –

It was calm outside, the snow was silently falling again and pilling up. It created a thick, white carpet around their house. The snowman Lance had built outside had already lost its basic form. The blue scarf and the red beanie it was wearing were not visible anymore. They had to rebuild it soon.

It was already late, a few minutes before midnight. Lance was asleep in his arms, his breath even and deep, warm in the crook of his neck. Keith held him close, kept him warm and cozy. With his free hand, he adjusted the blanket on his chest and covered Lance’s shoulders. They were starting to get cold. 

Keith didn’t want to sleep yet. He’d rather feel the warm skin under his palm a bit more. He silently studied Lance in his sleep. The moon was hidden by dark clouds, and the only light source in their room where the fairy lights on their window. Lance had hung them up as a Christmas decoration, and soon they had found out that both liked the dim light while sleeping. It made them feel safe.

Said light also helped Keith gaze at his boyfriend right now. Lance’s face was slack, but he still looked beautiful, even with his lips slightly parted and his closed eyes twitching from time to time. His soft hair was ruffled and strands stood up in all directions.

Keith looked outside the window and watched the snowflakes fall and gather on the windowsill. He let his mind wander a bit, thought about the last few days. 

Pidge and her family had driven out of town over the holidays. It was their family tradition to visit Sam’s mum up north every year, and they went ice fishing all together. On their departing day, Lance had asked Pidge for a small favor. Lucky for them, she had forgone to ask any questions, and they had ignored the probing looks she gave them. She simply promised to send the letter Lance gave her from her grandmother’s place.

The letter addressed to Lance’s mum contained a few lines about Lance’s wellbeing, Christmas greetings to all his siblings and relatives and a picture of him and Keith, sitting hand in hand on their swing on the porch. Hunk had been so kind to take a few pictures of them and their friends, and they had used them to finally fill up the empty picture frames Lance had bought when they first moved in. But their favorite picture was on its way to make a mother really happy right now.

For Keith, Christmas had never been a special occasion. Like birthdays or other holidays, he had usually been alone after he had left the system. This was his first real Christmas with a family, and Lance wanted to make it special. 

In the last few days, Lance had cooked and baked like a champion. The cabinets in their kitchen were filled with cookie jars, hidden from the cats of course. The fridge was overflowing with all kinds of delicious foods. It was more than they could possibly eat in one day. Or one week.

The whole house was decorated. Their living room was filled with twigs of evergreens, adorned with ornaments and big sparkling ribbons in red and blue. Their colors. On their small Christmas tree hung ornaments made of straw, so the cats couldn’t break them so easily. Four neatly wrapped presents sat under it. Lance had insisted the cats get a present too.

Oh, and not to forget the mistletoes. 

Small kisses sometimes turned to long make out sessions behind their closed bedroom door thanks to that. Keith smiled at those nice memories.

The clock on his nightstand showed him that he had two minutes left to reminisce, but he opted to watch Lance sleep again instead. Lance sighed softly, making Keith’s heart flutter from that sound. Seriously, how lucky can someone be? The answer laid in his arms.

Very.

The clock hit midnight. Keith leaned down a bit and started to pamper Lance’s face with kisses. “Lance, wake up.”

The brunet murmured a few words and lifted the blanket over his head to get away from Keith’s attack. Sleep was just more important right now. Keith didn’t falter though, he pulled the makeshift shield away, rolled over Lance and pinned him down. The pecking started again, and soon Lance’s unhappy groans turned to sleepy giggles. 

Keith halted and looked down the same moment Lance opened his eyes. Blue met violet, and Keith bend down for another kiss.

“Merry Christmas, Lance.”

“Keith! You can’t say it one day early!” He probably tried to sound angry, but a yawn interrupting him midsentence destroyed it completely.

“But it’s already past midnight!”

“Oh, okay. Well then. Merry Christmas, Keith.” Lance tried to get back to sleeping, until it hit him. His head suddenly shot up, almost hitting Keith in the process. But Lance didn´t seem to notice their almost crash, something more important was occupying his thoughts right now. With a bright grin he turned to his boyfriend. “Does that mean we can open our presents now?”

Keith just shrugged at him He didn´t really care for the presents right now, he´d rather cuddle. “I guess so.”

Whups, wrong answer.

Instead of getting back to cuddling, Lance jumped out of the bed and spurted to their living room. He came back with one present in each hand and a huge grin. He jumped back on the bed, careful not to rattle the presents too much. When his long legs were finally comfortable in place, he held out his present to Keith, grinning even wider. Seriously, they didn’t need any lights with the way Lance’s smile was shining so bright.

Keith accepted the present and started unwrapping in tentatively. Inside was a flat box, a bit bigger than his palm. When he opened it, he let out a surprised huff and looked up to meet his boyfriends grin with his own. 

The box held a replica of Lance’s own necklace, only darker. Two black metal nuts, a dark leather strap and a slim, dog tag like pendant. But this one was engraved. A small heart adorned the bottom. Keith gingerly took the necklace out of the box and gave it to his boyfriend. He turned around so Lance could put it on, a repetition of the gesture months ago.

Lance closed the clasp of the necklace and placed a soft kiss on Keith’s neck. “Now we match.” Keith faced him again and caught his lips for another kiss, this one showing his gratitude for the present. To have something on him that connected him with Lance made him truly happy. 

Next was Lance´s present. Keith gave him the box with a nervous smile. He wasn´t quite sure if Lance would like it, though he had been pretty sure of it when he got it. But now his confidence seemed to falter. Christmas was important to Lance after all, and Keith didn´t want to damp his enthusiasm with a shitty present.

Lance didn´t seem to notice Keith´s nervousness, or he was kind enough to ignore it. His anticipation for the present was clearly visible on his whole body, he even started to bounce a bit on the bed. With a quick glance at Keith he eagerly teared the red wrapping paper and let out a small gasp as he opened the box. 

He took out the brown leather bracelet and held it up, so he could examine it with the help of the fairy lights. The color of the leather matched Lance´s skin, and it was really soft and comfortable to wear. The most important thing though were the numbers engraved on the thin metal plate on top.

“It´s the coordinates to our home.” Keith informed him as Lance started to read the plate. Lance gasped again.

“Oh, Keith. This is wonderful.” His voice wavered a bit and Keith thought he could even see some tears forming in his eyes. “Thank you.”

“You can´t wear it for swimming though.”

“Doesn´t matter, I love it.”

“Really?” 

Instead of confirming his happiness with words, Lance carefully put on his bracelet before throwing himself at Keith. The other was already used to his boyfriend’s quirks, especially the excessive showing of affection, so he caught Lance without hesitation and accepted the hug and kisses with a smile. It was good to see just how much Lance liked his present.

They happily snuggled back into their sheets. The presents for the cats could wait until morning. They laid like before, Keith on his back and Lance in his arms, covered up to the shoulder in their soft blanket. Lance started to play with Keith´s necklace, observing it as if he´d never seen it before. Keith watched him with a smile, feeling just happy with everything right now. 

Lance looked up from time to time to get a kiss. Both men couldn´t fall sleep right away. But soon enough, Lance´s breath evened out, the soft tinkle of Keith´s necklace stopped and the brunet went totally slack in his arms. Like before, Lance was asleep before him, and like before, Keith continued to watch the snow outside the window. He just wanted to enjoy the moment a bit more before falling asleep.

 

***

 

Their first Christmas morning together felt like every other morning. They had the same routine, the same coffee, the same food. Lance spiced his coffee up with some cinnamon, but Keith kindly refused to put anything else in his cup than actual coffee. 

A few cookies were added to their breakfast, and Keith didn´t mind that at all. At least his coffee stayed safe like this. 

Lance loudly sung to all the Christmas songs that their little kitchen radio played. Keith contemplated if he should be annoyed, but Lance was a pretty good singer, so he just enjoyed the show. The house was warm, so Lance had left his shirt on the bedroom floor. Naked skin didn´t fit into their decorated kitchen, but Keith couldn´t bring himself to complain at that sight. 

“You know what?” Lance had stopped his singing and was standing behind Keith instead now, bending down to rest his head on Keith´s shoulder. “You should start to make jewelry. You´re way to good at that.”

“Yeah, no way.” Keith answered without even thinking about it. “I didn´t do so much this time. I only put the pieces together.” 

“Hmmm. Still.” Against what most people believe, Lance knew when to stop pushing the matter, so he dropped the topic and resumed singing and dancing. He´d rather spend his holiday without arguments, even if they were fun most of the time and usually concluded with makeup sex. 

After breakfast they rested on the loveseat with the cats and a book in each pair of hands. The last two presents were already unpacked, the two nice food bowls in red and blue placed on a matt on the kitchen floor and filled with nice “Christmas cat food”, whatever that was. Blue was on Lance´s lap again, Red resting on the armrest in safety. She still didn´t enjoy the eager petting Lance liked to spoil Blue with.

It was peaceful, but not boring. Lance had started to bring a few books home since they didn´t spend so much time outside anymore. They got some from Hunk´s shop, and a few more lend by Shay and Pidge. Keith liked the books about crafting and nature, and Pidge, or rather her father, had a whole collection of those. He had seen the full bookshelves in their house before.

Lance preferred books about romance, which Shay provided eagerly, and had started to collect magazines about cooking and knitting. Though he hadn´t started knitting yet, because of the cats. He was afraid the two would kill the wool as soon as he brought it home. 

Leaned against his boyfriend, Lance looked up from his book from time to time to gaze at Keith with a soft smile or snatch a kiss from him. Keith obliged every time, he enjoyed the attention. With a soft sigh Lance resumed to read.

Keith had a sad thought instead. Something he´d been thinking about more often as Christmas got closer. He looked at his boyfriend, who seemed to notice the starring but proceeded to ignore it. Again, Lance was used to Keith´s gaze. He only looked up from his book when Keith started to nudge him. 

Lance noticed the sad look on his face and started to worry. “What´s wrong?”

“I´m sorry you can´t be with your family for Christmas.”

Lance let out a small huff and smiled lovingly at his boyfriend. He had thought the same when the holidays had started, but soon came to the realization that it wasn´t true. “I _am_ with my family though.” He said and leaned for another kiss.

Well, if hearts could explode from happiness, Keith would be surely dead by now. He didn´t even know what to do with all his affection, so he opted for returning the kiss enthusiastically, and turning it into a full make out session instead of the simple peck Lance had intended. 

The books ended up on the floor and the cats resumed to sit on the kitchen chairs when the kissing started to get more heated. Lance slumped into Keith´s chest and slung his arms around his shoulders, keeping him in place. Not that Keith would ever try to move away from Lance´s kisses. But the closeness felt great, and it was something both liked to indulge in.

The rest of the day was spent similar, with kisses and cuddles, warm drinks and watching the fire. The cats were let out after a while, to do their business and play. Lance and Keith took a short walk in the snowy forest, watching the cats for a bit before moving along. 

Hand in hand, they walked on a small trail between the trees. It was quiet around them, the only thing they could here were their footsteps in the snow. When they got back to the house, the cats were already sitting on the porch, curled up on the swing and waiting patiently for them to open the door. 

They brushed off a few chunks of snow from their shoes and dried off the cats before letting them inside. 

Lance hurried to the fireplace to warm himself up again. Red and Blue checked their bowls for fresh food before jumping on the couch to form a big fluffy ball in the corner. Keith sat down on the other side, legs propped up so Lance could easily join him, which he did a few moments later.

A smile tugged on his lips as Keith leaned back on the loveseat. With Lance in his arms and the cats purring loudly beside them, he felt content and at ease. 

This was his family. This was his home. And here he was truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it. The cats are happy, Keith and Lance are happy, and I hope you´re happy too.
> 
> Even if it´s belated, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Thanks again for taking your time to read Eloping, it means a lot to me. 
> 
> You´re comments give me life, so feel free to give me some feedback down there. 
> 
> Thanks again, and till next time! <3


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